Banks are mostly off the hook this time; risks were shifted to taxpayers and investors. Mortgage balances rose by $137 billion (+1.1%) in Q3 from Q2, and by $482 billion (+3.8%) year-over-year, to $13.1 trillion, according to the Household Debt and Credit Report from the New York Fed, based on Equifax credit report data.Growth in mortgage balances is a net of several factors, a significant one being the growth of the housing stock when buyers finance the purchase of newly constructed homes. Mortgage balance ...