Despite a decrease in debt, the number of credit card delinquencies grew in the fourth quarter.

A recent release by credit bureau TransUnion showed that states hit hardest by the housing crisis, like Florida and Nevada, also had the largest percentage of consumers falling behind on their credit card payments. The overall number of borrowers 90 days or more delinquent on one or more of their credit cards grew to 1.21 percent, a 10 percent percent increase compared to the third quarter.

The average credit card debt fell by 3.18 percent to $5,434, from the previous quarter’s $5,612. Alaska, Tennessee and Alabama reported the highest levels of average credit card debt, while Iowa, North Dakota and West Virginia ranked lowest. None showed an increase in average debt compared to the third quarter.

TransUnion director of consulting and strategy Ezra Becker said the uncertain financial conditions inspired consumers to pay off their debt. This creates a credit cushion that can be used in case of an emergency.

“However, we do expect to see the increased balances due to holiday spending show up on credit files in the month of January,” Becker said.

Delinquencies are expected to fluctuate throughout the year, ending just 0.01 percentage points below their current rate, according to Becker. Nevada will maintain its lead, while Alaska is expected to continue having the lowest delinquency rate, at 0.64 percent.

This report follows last week’s announcements by Capital One Financial Corp. and Discover Financial Services Inc. that credit card delinquencies increased among their customers during January. Loans at least 30 days overdue grew from 5.78 to 5.8 percent at Capital One, while Discover reported a 5.55 percent delinquency rate, up from 5.49 in December. Delinquencies decreased at Bank of American Corp.

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