NEW FIGURES published by the Central Bank show that 9.2 per cent of all domestic mortgages are now over three months in arrears – with the average mortgage holder in Ireland being €1,453 behind in their repayments.

By the end of December, 70,911 mortgage holders were more than 90 days behind on their repayments – with over €1.11 billion in loan repayments due on them, an average of €15,753 per affected household.

In 53,086 cases, the mortgages were more than six months in arrears – with just under 10 per cent of those mortgages, with an outstanding balance of €10.7 billion, due to be repaid but not yet done so.

It is likely that the €1,453 figure is actually higher, as the stats do not include arrears accrued on mortgages which are less than 90 days in arrears.

In both cases, the numbers were up on the previous statistics from the end of September, when 62,920 homes were three months in arrears and 46,371 were over 180 days behind on repayments.

At the end of 2011 there were 768,917 private residential mortgages in Ireland, with a total value of €113.5 billion.

74,379 mortgages had been restructured by the end of December, up by 4,644 on the previous quarter.

Just over half of the mortgages which had been restructured were in arrears  - meaning that 107,708 mortgage accounts were had either been restructured or were in arrears by the end of the year, accounting for 14 per cent of all mortgages currently in place.

Lenders began legal proceedings to repossess 95 homes in the fourth quarter of 2011, after borrowers ran up arrears of €13.9 million based on mortgages worth a total of €37.8 million.

133 properties were taken into possession by lenders, with 50 repossessed through court orders, with the remaining 83 voluntarily surrendered or abandoned by their owners.