The number of private dwelling mortgage accounts in short-term arrears rose by 2,326 in the fourth quarter of last year, according to new Central Bank figures.
However, there was a decline in the number of mortgage accounts in long term arrears which brought the overall increase in the fourth quarter to 997.
On an annual basis, there was a decline of 1,708 accounts in arrears. The number of accounts in short-term arrears rose while the number of accounts in long-term arrears fell.
At the end of December 2022, there were 29,499 accounts, or 4.1%, in arrears of more than 90 days, a decline from 4.3% of accounts in December 2021.
There were 712,145 private dwelling house accounts held at Irish institutions at the end of last year.
The number of accounts in arrears greater than one year was 22,623, or 3.18%. This compares to 26,769 accounts, or 3.7%, in December 2021.
Of the accounts in arrears, 5,702 are in a legal process. Just under 2,000 (1,996) have been in a legal process for over five years.
Non-banks, which includes credit servicing firms, account for 16% of all mortgage accounts (approximately 114,000 accounts) but they hold 77% of accounts in arrears of over one year. There are 22,626 accounts in arrears of over one year.
Today's Central Bank figures show there were 76,304 buy-to-let mortgage accounts at the end of December 2022.
Of these, 10,318 were in arrears. 8,113 were in arrears of over 90 days while 7,018 in arrears of over a year.
The percentage of buy-to-lets in arrears fell from 12.1% of accounts in December 2021 to 10.6% last December.
2,512 buy-to-let accounts were in arrears of between five and ten years, while 1,784 accounts were in arrears of over ten years.
The non-bank sector held 71% of buy-to-let accounts in arrears and 85% of buy-to-lets "with accumulated arrears greater than ten years".
The number of properties held by financial institutions at the end of last year was 486, down from 545 at the end of September.
During the last three months of last year, 34 private dwellings were taken by financial institutions. 19 were voluntarily surrendered while 15 were repossessed on foot of a court order.
23 buy-to-let properties were taken by financial institutions in the final quarter last year. 20 were voluntarily surrendered and three repossessed.
