Mortgage industry data released recently shows that delinquencies and foreclosures nationwide topped 13 percent in the second quarter of 2009, the highest level ever since the Mortgage Bankers Association began its survey in 1972.

And that number is expected to continue to rise, as the unemployment rate remains high, reports the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, it isn't just subprime mortgages with punitive terms that aren't being timely paid. A growing number of prime borrowers also are struggling with the double whammy of the declining economy and rising unemployment. Jay Brinkmann, the MBA's chief economist, predicts that delinquencies will continue to rise until next year, the newspaper recounts.

The extent of the problem varies considerably in different regions of the country, however. Four states-Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada-account for 44 percent of all foreclosures nationwide, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The Miami Herald reported that Florida leads the nation in rate of mortgage troubles.