The number of Maryland homeowners in trouble on their mortgages has been getting better -- modestly -- since last summer. But the pace of improvement is slowing down.

Borrowers who were at least one month behind during the spring dropped in numbers from a year earlier by 4 percent, according to new numbers from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The year-over-year decline was about 10 percent last fall and winter.

New delinquencies, borrowers just one month behind, actually rose year-over-year. The increase was slight, but that's the first time single-month delinquencies grew since summer 2009. The mortgage bankers' trade group blamed rising unemployment for a similar trend nationwide.

More details in this story, including Maryland's high ranking nationwide on seriously delinquent mortgages that aren't yet in the foreclosure process.

On a related note: The state has now approved just over 680 Emergency Mortgage Assistance loans for homeowners who are unemployed or suffered a drop in income. The no-interest, forgivable loans help cover past-due amounts and a portion of the monthly payments for up to two years.

Of the $40 million allocated by Congress to Maryland, almost $23 million has been committed to homeowners so far. The drop-dead deadline to approve funding for the loans is Sept. 30, so the state says homeowners must apply by no later than Sept. 15 to allow for processing. Earlier is better, state housing officials say, because the money is first come, first served.

More on how to apply here.

How is the foreclosure situation affecting you?