U.S. Mortgage Lending Dives 32 Percent in Q1, Fastest Decline in 8 Years

Source: World Property Journal — 

Based on ATTOM’s first-quarter 2022 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report, 2.71 million mortgages secured by residential property (1 to 4 units) originated in the first quarter of 2022 in the United States. That figure was down 18 percent from the fourth quarter of 2021 – the largest quarterly decrease since 2017 – and down 32 percent from the first quarter of 2021 – the biggest annual drop since 2014.

The decline, which marked the fourth straight quarterly decrease, resulted from double-digit downturns in purchase and refinance activity, even as home-equity lending rose.