U.S. Mortgage Lending Hits 20-Year Low As Interest Rates Remain High

Home mortgage lending in the U.S. fell to a more than 20-year low in the first quarter, according to a report released Thursday by real estate data provider ATTOM.

ATTOM’s first-quarter 2023 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report shows that 1.25 million mortgages secured by residential property with one to four units originated in the first three months of the year.

That’s down 19% from the fourth quarter of 2022 and the eighth consecutive quarterly decline. It’s also down 56% from the first quarter of 2022 and 70% from a peak reached in the first quarter of 2021.

Lenders issued $388 billion in residential mortgages in the first quarter as interest rates remained double what they were a year ago. Overall activity included 595,253 loans to homebuyers, down 19% from the fourth quarter of 2022 and 44% from the first quarter of last year.

On the refinance side, 407,956 mortgages were rolled into new ones — the smallest number this century. That was down 18% quarterly, 73% annually and 85% from the first quarter of 2021. The value of refinance packages dropped 21% from the previous quarter and 74% annually to $216 billion.

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All Types Of Loans Impacted

Lending activity continues to decline, but the mix of the types of loans made held steady. Home purchase loans accounted for about half of all mortgages issued in the first quarter, with refinancing packages making up one-third and home equity loans 20%.

“Lenders saw opportunities dwindle even more during the first quarter as the longest slowdown in mortgage activity in at least 20 years continued,” ATTOM CEO Rob Barber said. “In one sense, it wasn’t that unusual, given that wintertime is usually the slow time of the year for lenders.

Slumping mortgage activity reflects a combination of economic forces — doubled mortgage rates, inflation, limited supply of homes and economic uncertainty — that helped stall the decade-long U.S. housing market boom and, by extension, damaged the mortgage industry.

“The latest slide extends a run that started two years ago and has carved away nearly three-quarters of the home mortgage business,” Barber said. “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.”

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