CoreLogic recently reported that 2.5 million U.S. mortgages have surfaced from negative equity or underwater in the second quarter of 2013. That means 41.5 million U.S. homes currently exist with a positive-equity type of mortgage.

Despite an increase in mortgages, 7.1 million homes are still considered underwater due to homeowners owing more money than the home’s net worth. The number of underwater homeowners is decreasing due to elevating home prices across the U.S. At the end of Q1, the number of U.S. households that were considered underwater was 9.6 million.

The decline in negative equity can be attributed to the increase of home purchases by institutional investors. Negative equity mortgages are primarily in Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and Michigan according to housing industry statistics.