Total debt payments (mortgage and consumer loans) as a share of disposable income rose to an all-time high of almost 14 percent in the third quarter, according to the Federal Reserve. In the fourth quarter, mortgage interest payments as a share of disposable personal income rose to a 14-year high of 6.1 percent, according Joe Carson, director of economic research at Alliance Bernstein. ``The ratio is close to the highs from the late 1980s even though the effective mortgage rate is 400 basis points lower,'' he said.