ECONOMY

Mortgage Delinquencies Decline: An improving economy and low interest rates pushed mortgage delinquencies nationally to a 19-year low from July through September. The Mortgage Bankers Assn. found improvements from the second quarter to the third in every region of the country and in all delinquency categories and loan types. However, delinquencies shot up in California during the period. The survey found that the number of homeowners who were late in making their mortgage payments fell 18 basis points to a seasonally adjusted 4.21% from the second quarter. That is the lowest level since delinquencies represented 4.16% of loans in the third quarter of 1974. A basis point is 100th of a percentage point.