SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -

Similar to the latest reading on defaults, Experian’s Q4 2019 State of the Automotive Finance Market Report showed 60-day delinquencies finished the year in a stable place as the industry braces for potential jumps in these metrics stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experian pegged the overall 60-day delinquency rate at 0.79% as of the fourth quarter, just 1 basis point higher than a year earlier. What Experian classifies as finance companies — providers that typically don’t hold deposits and often book the most subprime paper — experienced a rise of 9 basis points year-over-year to close 2019 at 1.74%

The other classifications of auto-finance providers watched their 60-day delinquency readings dip slightly year-over-year during the fourth quarter, according to Experian. Here is the rundown:

— Banks: 0.72%, down 3 basis points

— Captives: 0.62%, down 2 basis points

— Credit Unions: 0.32%, down 1 basis point

Looking at the data by state, Experian determined the top 10 readings for 60-day delinquency represented the areas familiar to repossession and recovery professionals. The latest top listing had four states with the same reading and included:

1. Mississippi: 1.54%
2. Maryland: 1.45%
3. Louisiana: 1.26%
4. Georgia: 1.14%
5. South Carolina: 1.05%
6. Alabama: 1.01%
T7. Arkansas: 0.88%
T7. New Mexico: 0.88%
T7. North Carolina: 0.88%
T7. Texas: 0.88%