Report: Home mortgages gain ground, though some weakness remains

Home mortgages in Northern Colorado continued their return to health last year, though slowing price appreciation, among other factors, caused an increase in troubled loans in some cities.
In Greeley, 13.1 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage were underwater, or in negative equity, in the fourth quarter of 2013, compared with 13.5 percent in the quarter before, according to the latest data from CoreLogic.
Negative equity means that borrowers owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. This can can occur because of a decline in value, an increase in mortgage debt or a…