Mortgage loan delinquency rose for the 11th straight quarter in Q309, according to market research by credit bureau TransUnion. Overall mortgage delinquency of 60 or more days reached a record 6.25% in TransUnion’s ongoing study of a random selection of 27m credit files from its national consumer database. The rate is up from 5.81% in Q209 and is expected by the credit bureau to come in just under 7% by year-end 2009. Despite the rising trend, TransUnion saw a bit of positive news in that the rate of increasing delinquency narrowed in Q309, marking the third consecutive quarter of deceleration. “While it continues to be a positive sign that the increase in mortgage borrower delinquency rates has slowed for three consecutive quarters, we have to keep things in perspective,” said FJ Guarrera, vice president of TransUnion’s financial services division. “Delinquency rates are rising and expected to peak at record levels.” Borrower delinquency rates were highest this quarter in Nevada (14.5%), while Florida followed at 13.3% delinquent, according to TransUnion. The lowest mortgage delinquency rates were in North Dakota (1.7%), South Dakota (2.3%) and Vermont (2.6%). Guarrera added: “Until the housing market can consistently demonstrate several months of home value appreciation and the unemployment rate improves, mortgage delinquency will likely continue to rise.” TransUnion, one of the major US credit bureaus, conducts a survey of exactly 27m credit files from its total consumer base, or about one in every nine consumer files in its database of 250m consumer files each quarter, a spokesperson told HousingWire in June. Write to Diana Golobay.