CHICAGO (MarketWatch)  January 9, 2006 The American Bankers Association's Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin, released this week, tracks the percentage of consumer loans that were 30 days or more past due.

Credit-card delinquencies increased to a seasonally adjusted 4.57%, up from 4.41% in the second quarter, the report found. The results showed some improvement over the third quarter of 2005, when credit-card delinquencies reached 4.74%.

The bulletin surveys quarterly more than 300 banks throughout the country to create a composite ratio which considers delinquencies in eight types of closed-end installment loans. The ratio increased to a seasonally adjusted 2.12% of accounts in the third quarter, up from 1.96% in the second quarter. In the third quarter of 2005, the ratio hit 2.17%.

• personal loan delinquencies, which increased to 1.91% in the third quarter from 1.86% in the second;
• direct auto-loan delinquencies, which increased to 1.87% from 1.72%;
• indirect auto-loan delinquencies, which increased to 2.35% from 2.14%;
• recreational vehicle-loan delinquencies, which increased to 0.89% from 0.79%;
• marine loan delinquencies, which increased to 1.04% from 0.98%;
• home-equity loan delinquencies, which decreased to 1.79% from 1.89%;
• property-improvement loan delinquencies, which increased to 1.68% from 1.48%;
• mobile-home loan delinquencies, which decreased to 3.24% from 3.61%.