The delinquency rates for commercial mortgages held by banks and in CMBS fell slightly in the third quarter, while delinquencies for loans held by life insurance firms rose, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. The rate for loans more than 90 days delinquent owned by banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. decreased 0.19% to 3.75% during the three months ended Sept. 30, the trade group said. Meanwhile, the rate for loans that are 60 days or more delinquent and held in life insurance company portfolios increased 0.07 percentage points to 0.19% in the third quarter. The 60-plus day delinquency rate for multifamily loans held or insured by Fannie Mae grew 0.11 percentage points to 0.57%, while those insured by Freddie Mac increased 0.02 percentage points to 0.33%. In addition, the 30-plus day delinquency rate for loans held in CMBS fell 0.10 percentage points to 8.92%. “There were modest changes in commercial/multifamily delinquency rates during the third quarter,” said Jamie Woodwell, MBA vice president of CRE research. “The delinquency rates for loans held by life insurance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each ticked up slightly in the quarter, but remained at relatively low overall levels,” Woodwell said. “Delinquency rates for bank-held loans continued to decline from their cycle highs; and delinquency rates for loans held in CMBS fell slightly as loans made during the first half of the year were added to the base.” Write to Kerri Panchuk.