Hawaii’s mortgage delinquency rate is expected to drop 22 percent next year, reaching its lowest level since 2008.

National credit reporting agency TransUnion predicts the state’s 60-day mortgage loan delinquency rate, considered a precursor to foreclosure, will fall to 2.35 percent at the end of 2015 from 3.02 percent this year. The national rate is forecast to decrease to 2.5 percent from 3.1 percent.

"The drop in delinquency is not because consumers are necessarily behaving better today than yesterday, but because lenders are clearing foreclosures," Ezra Becker, TransUnion vice president of research and consulting, said ahead of the report, due out Wednesday. "The clearing effect of the backlog of foreclosures will continue through 2015. It’s one of the biggest drivers that will be bolstered by continued strong employment in Hawaii, home value appreciation which helps consumers, improved consumer sentiment and other macro-economic factors."

Hawaii’s mortgage loan delinquency rate peaked at 5.9 percent in the first quarter of 2010.

In terms of credit cards, Hawaii consumers are still managing their debt better, though the average credit card balance is expected to climb to $5,700 at the end of 2015 from $5,648 this year, TransUnion’s report shows.

The state’s 90-day credit card delinquency rate is expected to remain flat at 1.3 percent in 2015.

"Those numbers are near historic lows in terms of credit card delinquency," Becker said. "When consumers have jobs and incomes, they’re better equipped and have more wherewithal to pay their debts. Hawaii citizens are generally fully employed. All those forces are either directly or indirectly reflected in the delinquency rate. Consumers in Hawaii with credit cards are managing it very well relative to the rest of the nation."

Other highlights of the report include:

» The number of mortgage accounts in Hawaii has dropped by 13 percent, or 33,136, in the third quarter since 2007. The U.S. has experienced about a 15 percent, or 9.6 million, decline in the same period.

» TransUnion projects a $903 decrease in credit card debt per borrower for Hawaii between the peak level in the fourth quarter of 2008 and year-end 2015. The U.S. has seen an $880 drop.

» The company expects a 52.3 percent decline in the 90-day credit card delinquency rate for Hawaii between the peak of 2009 to 2015. The U.S. is projected to experience a 51 percent decline.

» There were 3 percent, or 56,426, fewer credit card accounts in Hawaii between 2007 and 2014. The U.S. has experienced an 8.6 percent, or 33.2 million, decline in the same time frame.