More Than 50 Percent of American Homeowners Bogged Down by Underwater Mortgages

A national telephone survey of American homeowners conducted by Rasmussen Reports has found that only 49 percent of those surveyed believe their home is worth more than their mortgage. This figure is up from the company's June findings of 45 percent, it is still just the third time this survey has fallen below the 50 percent mark since late 2008. Highlights of the Rasmussen Reports study include: ►Upper-income homeowners are more confident in their home value than those who earn less. ►Investors are more confident than non-investors about their home’s value. ►Seventy-one percent of government workers believe their home is worth more than the mortgage. ►Fifty percent of private sector employees believe their home is worth more than their mortgage. ►Forty-two percent of retirees believe their home is worth more than their mortgage. ►Thirty-three percent believe their home is not worth more than the amount left on the mortgage, while another 18 percent wasn't sure.  ►Only seven percent of the homeowners surveyed say they’ve missed or have been late on a mortgage payment in the last six months, while 90 percent say that has not happened during that time. ►After dipping to a two-year low in June, the number of Americans who expect to pay higher interest rates next year has returned to levels found earlier this year.  In December 2008, 61 percent believed their home was worth more than their mortgage. While the numbers have declined since then, this marks the first time ever that the number believing they had equity in their home remained below the 50 percent mark for two consecutive months. The national telephone survey of 676 U.S. homeowners was conducted between July 17-18. The margin of sampling error is +/- four percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research LLC.