This trend, primarily based on available statistical data, is only the end of the iceberg. As in the appalling crisis that befell the Titanic, it's what is concealed under the water that finally sinks the ship. Put simply folk who've been afflicted with the tricks the banking and lending industry imposed on them in past times, are sick and tired of the Fed, the bailouts of the banks and other banks, and the lies that they told, to the point that they're now reacting in an adversely real and tangible way. When they find that they're getting behind on their home loan payments and are facing certain foreclosure, they take matters into their own hands, and they bail out - literally. Lenders are now receiving in the post, in constantly rising numbers, the keys to deserted houses. Frequently the houses are gutted of all valuable and worthwhile fixtures like aircon, kitchens, loos, and even dear copper wiring. Here's a great page about Tennessee foreclosure. Not all houses suffer because of this, but a share of the houses will, dependent on how irritated the long suffering previous owners were at the time of them deserting the home. Many of them may even offer to purchase off your loan and consolidate it with a lower interest rate.
Most banks cannot produce this original document because of the the Street practice of bundling loans and reselling them to foreign investment groups.