The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced the results of its survey on residential mortgage loans (RMLs) in negative equity at end-December 2024. The estimated number of RMLs in negative equity was 38,389 cases at end-December 2024, down 5.7% quarterly from 40,713 cases at end-September 2024. These cases were mainly related to bank staff housing loans or RMLs under mortgage insurance program, which generally have a higher loan-to-value ratio.The aggregate value of RMLs in negative equity decreased to HK$195.1 billion at end-December 2024 compared with HK$207.5 billion at end-September 2024. The unsecured portion of these loans decreased to HK$14.5 billion at end-December 2024 from HK$15.8 billion at end-September 2024. The three-month delinquency ratio of RMLs in negative equity remained at a low level of 0.15% at end-December 2024 as compared to 0.13% at end-September 2024.