The percentage of houses somewhere in the foreclosure process fell in the second quarter, the first drop since 2006 and the largest quarter-to-quarter drop since 2005, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Thursday.

Still, the group's quarterly delinquency report showed that short-term delinquencies are on the rise — a foreboding number that could signal more foreclosures in the future.

The percentage of mortgage loans somewhere in the foreclosure process was 4.57 percent in the second quarter, down from 4.63 percent in the first quarter. The latest percentage is still up from a 4.3 percent rate a year ago.

However, the proportion of home loans one payment behind is now 3.51 percent, said Jay Brinkmann, the MBA's chief economist.

This percentage peaked in the first quarter of 2009 at 3.77 percent, before falling to 3.31 percent by the end of last year.

While the percentage of 30-day delinquencies is on the rise, the percentage of mortgages 90 days or more past due has fallen, Brinkmann said. The so-called serious delinquency rate — or mortgages that are 90 days or more past due or in the process of foreclosure — was 9.11 percent in the second quarter, down from 9.54 percent in the first quarter.