The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Equifax Canada's Rebecca Oakes says consumers in Ontario and British Columbia have been missing payments on mortgages and credit cards more frequently in the fourth quarter of 2023. The Globe's Clare O'Hara writes that consumers are feeling the impact of rising interest rates and inflation. The fourth quarter saw a continuation of this trend. These effects are becoming more visible as people renew their mortgages. Ms. Oakes says, "We're seeing that strain start to increase, and really starting to see missed payments coming out more and more on the credit side for individuals." Equifax says mortgage delinquency rates in Ontario and British Columbia have surpassed prepandemic levels. Financially stressed homeowners in those provinces are also increasingly missing credit payments, a trend primarily driven by homeowners who are 36 and younger. Mortgage delinquency rates across the country rose 52.3 per cent in the fourth quarter compared with a year earlier, while delinquency rates for non-mortgage debts that are more than 90 days overdue rose by 28.9 per cent. Total consumer debt hit $2.45-trillion in the fourth quarter, up 3.2 per cent from the previous year.