Summary Box: Mortgage delinquencies dip in 4Q

FEWER MISSED PAYMENTS: The Mortgage Bankers Association said 8.2 percent of homeowners missed at least one mortgage payment in the third quarter, down from 9.1 percent in the previous quarter.

FORECLOSURES STILL HIGH: The percentage of homes in the foreclosure process rose to 4.6 percent from 4.4 percent. Foreclosures are expected to peak this year.

FAR FROM NORMAL: The percentage of seriously delinquent borrowers — those more than 90 days behind on their mortgages or in foreclosure — is typically just above 1 percent. In the fourth quarter, that figure was 8.57 percent.