Mortgage delinquency rates increased in September, even as the percentage of loans in foreclosure declined to its lowest level since February 2009, according to a new "First Look" report from real estate data and analytics provider Lender Processing Services (LPS).

The number of loans 30 or more days past due but not in foreclosure increased to 6.46 percent in September from 6.2 percent in August, a 4.2 percent rise. Year over year, it was down 12.6 percent from September 2012’s rate of 7.4 percent.

The number of homes in foreclosure dropped to 2.63 percent in September from 2.66 percent in August, a decline of 1.3 percent. Year over year, the number of homes in foreclosure dropped from 3.87 percent in September 2012, a decline of 32.2 percent.

LPS’s loan-level database represents approximately 70 percent of the overall market, the firm said.