Your inside source for real estate, development and construction information serving the counties of Mecklenburg, Union & Iredell VOLUME 107 NUMBER 26 ■ MECKTIMES.COM
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TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2023
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Home-mortgage lending across U.S. falls to more than 20-year low ATTOM has released its first-quarter 2023 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report, which shows that just 1.25 million mortgages secured by residential property (1 to 4 units) were originated in the first quarter of 2023 in the United States – the lowest point since late-2000. That figure was down 19 percent from the fourth quarter of 2022, marking the eighth quarterly decrease in a row. It also was down 56 percent from the first quarter of 2022 and 70 percent from a peak reached in the first quarter of 2021. The ongoing sharp decline in residential lending resulted from another round of downturns in both refinance and purchase loan activity as well as the second straight quarterly drop-off in home-equity lending. Lending activity contracted again as a slowdown in the 11-year U.S. housing market that started in the middle of last year stretched into 2023 amid elevated mortgage rates, consumer price inflation and other signs of economic uncertainty. During a period when average interest rates remained double what they were a year earlier, lenders issued just $388 billion worth of residential mortgages in the first quarter of 2023. That was down quarterly by 20 percent and annually by 58 percent. The overall activity included 595,253 loans granted to home purchasers in the first quarter of 2023, down 19 percent from the fourth quarter of 2022 and 44 percent from the first quarter of 2022 to the lowest point since early 2014. The dollar volume of purchase mortgages dropped 18 percent
quarterly and 45 percent annually, to $216 billion. On the refinance side, only 407,956 mortgages were rolled over into new ones – the smallest amount this century. That was down 18 percent quarterly, 73 percent annually and 85 percent from the first quarter of 2021. The value of refinance packages was down 21 percent from the prior quarter and 74 percent annually, to $127 billion. Home-equity lending also went down, dropping 23 percent in the first few months of 2023, to a total of 245,071. The decline marked the second quarterly decrease following a year and a half of gains. While lending activity kept declining across the board in early 2023, the portion represented by different kinds of home loans held steady. Purchase loans continued to comprise about half of all mortgages issued in the first quarter of 2023, with refinance packages making up a third and home-equity loans 20 percent. But that remained a sea of change from two years ago, when refinance deals made up two-thirds of all activity and purchase loans just one-third. “Lenders saw opportunities dwindle even more during the first quarter as the longest slowdown in mortgage activity in at least 20 years continued,” said Rob Barber, chief executive officer at ATTOM. “In one sense, it wasn’t that unusual, given that wintertime is usually the slow time of the year for lenders. But the latest slide extends a run that started two years ago and has carved away nearly three-quarters of the home-mortgage
business. Things remain uncertain in the near future, with the potential for interest rates and inflation to go either way, but the Spring buying season will be a key indicator of whether things may turn around.” The across-the-board slump in mortgage activity continues to reflect a combination of economic forces that have helped stall the nation’s decade-long housing market boom and, by extension, damaged the mortgage industry. Those forces include mortgage rates that doubled last year, high consumer price inflation, a historically tight supply of homes for sale and broad economic uncertainty. They have combined to make refinancing or borrowing against home equity far less attractive, while also raising the cost of buying a home and limiting purchases. Total lending activity off 70 percent in just two years Banks and other lenders issued a total of 1,248,280 residential mortgages in the first quarter of 2023 - the smallest number since the fourth quarter of 2000. The latest figure was down 19.4 percent from 1,548,372 in the fourth quarter of 2022, 55.6 percent from 2,810,051 in the first quarter of 2022 and 70 percent from the most recent high point of 4,154,015 hit in early 2021. The eighth consecutive decrease extended the longest run of declines this century, while the annual downturn marked the largest since at least 2001. A total of $387.8 billion was lent in the
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“We are honored to work with the Independence Fund and the Village of Marvin on such a meaningful project to the heroes of Marvin and the state of North Carolina.” Marc Meddaugh, SW
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