The trying economic times is making customers make a tough choice between credit card dues and mortgage payments. Before economic recession struck a couple of years ago, Americans ensured they made their mortgage payments on schedule ahead of all other payments. However, today, this trend seems to have changed. As per the reports from TransUnion, an increasing number of borrowers in the United States are opting to clear off their credit card bills before considering mortgage payments.

In the last quarter of the previous year, close to 7.25% of the home owners in the United States were delinquent on mortgages but current on credit card dues. Sean Reardon, who works for TransUnion, said that though there was a drop of 7.40% as compared to the third quarter of 2010, it is 72% greater than what it was before the recession set in.

According to the reports from TransUnions, only a meager 3.03% of borrowers made their mortgage payments ahead of their credit card dues in the final quarter of 2010. This, as per reports, is the least recorded number till date.

Three groups of people were compared with each other to generate this report. While the first group was that of people who were one month delinquent on mortgages but current on credit card payments; the second group consisted of people who were current on mortgage payments by one month delinquent on credit cards and the third group was that of people who were a month delinquent on their mortgage as well as credit card payments.