Lawyers have reported that settlements are taking much longer to reach because the collapse in property values is forcing couples to fight harder over other assets. Some have even been forced to stay together.

John Goerke, of Santa Barbara, California, and his estranged wife Laurel could have struck a relatively easy divorce in the past.

Their home was valued at $2.3 million (£1.6 million) when they first talked about separating two years ago, leaving them $1 million after paying the mortgage. However, by the time they sold the house a few months ago, they received $1.7 million.

"That's the nest-egg gone," he said. "Now the question is whether we work out the rest before we just run out of money."

Gary Nickelson, of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, said: "For many spouses, the divorce process involves a great deal of long-term planning and waiting for better economic times is often just another element of the overall process. A sudden drop in net worth can effectively postpone this final decision from being made."

Almost all properties are down in value over recent months while one in six homes is worth less than its mortgage.

"Things had been rocky with my husband for a while and we decided to divorce last year," said a 41-year-old Miami woman.

"The last thing we expected was that we'd be caught in this slump. Now our home is down in value from $1 million a year ago to maybe $700,000. We can't afford to go ahead with the divorce yet in our heads we'd already split up."