from   Cindy Barth ,  Editor,  Orlando Business Journal In the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area, 78,948 — or 17 percent, of all residential properties with a mortgage — were in negative equity as of first-quarter 2016 compared with 109,875 — or 23.6 percent — in the year-ago period, a new report from  CoreLogic  shows. An additional 13,346 properties, or 2.9 percent, were in near-negative equity for first-quarter 2016 compared with 15,075, or 3.2 percent, in first-quarter 2015. Enlarge In the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area, 78,948 — or 17 percent, of all residential…  more DIGTIALSTORM Negative equity, often referred to as underwater or upside down, applies to borrowers who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Negative equity can occur because of a decline in home value, an increase in mortgage debt or a combination of both. Nationwide, the total number of mortgaged residential properties with negative equity stood at 4 million,