Florida is No. 12 for auto delinquencies - South Florida Business Journal:

Florida ranked 12th in the nation in the number of borrowers 60 days or more past due on their auto loans in the third quarter, according to a report by TransUnion.com.

The delinquency rate slipped to 0.99 percent from 1.1 percent in the same quarter last year. However, it rose slightly from the second quarter, when it was 0.92 percent.

Floridian’s average auto debt burden was $13,448, ranking 13th in the nation.

Nationwide, auto delinquency was highest in Mississippi, at 1.53 percent, and California, at 1.33 percent.

The lowest rates were in the District of Columbia (0.26 percent) and North and South Dakota (0.35 percent and 0.37 percent, respectively).

The nation’s average auto debt in the third quarter fell to $12,542 from $12,560 in the same year-ago quarter.

Nevada had the largest auto debt burden, at $14,721, followed by Texas, at $14,425.

“As in recent quarters, both the availability of funding in the market, consumer demand for auto financing and tighter lending standards have contributed to a significant decrease in the number of auto loans in the market, resulting in upward pressure on delinquency rates,” said Peter Turek, automotive vice president in TransUnion’s Financial Services Group, in a news release.

He added that TransUnion's forecasting models indicate that the national 60-day auto delinquency rate will rise to almost 0.9 percent by year-end, a 7.5 percent increase over the prior year.