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HOME MORTGAGE LENDING REBOUNDS NATIONWIDE WITH ACROSS-THE-BOARD GAINS IN SECOND QUARTER OF 2024

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Residential Loans Surge 23 Percent Quarterly, Climbing Back to Levels from a Year Earlier; Purchase, Refinance and Home-Equity Lending All Increase; Despite Shift, Lending Activity Still Off Nearly Two-Thirds from 2021 Peak

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, today released its second-quarter 2024 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report, which shows that 1.62 million mortgages secured by residential property (1 to 4 units) were issued in the United States during the second quarter, representing a 23.2 percent increase over the prior three-month period.

The spike still left total residential lending activity down 1.6 percent from the second quarter of 2023 and 61.2 percent from a high point hit in 2021. But it marked the first gain in a year and boosted the number of residential loans back up close to the level from a year earlier. The rebound came amid a strong Spring home-buying season and mortgage interest rates that dipped downward after months of increases.

The increase in overall lending resulted from improvements across all major categories of residential loans, especially for home buying. Purchase-loan activity jumped 32.7 percent quarterly, to about 783,000, refinance deals rose by 10.3 percent, to about 546,000, and home-equity credit lines shot up 26.5 percent, to about 286,000.

Measured monetarily, lenders issued nearly $533 billion worth of residential mortgages in the second quarter of 2024. That was up 27.6 percent from the first quarter of 2024 and 1.1 percent from the second quarter of last year.

The varying increases among different loan types boosted the share of residential mortgages for home purchases, while reducing the proportion of refinancing loans. Purchase loans remained the most common form of mortgages around the U.S. in early 2024, comprising almost half of all mortgages, followed by refinance packages and home-equity lending.

“The mortgage industry got one of its biggest boosts in years during the second quarter, supported by a combination of the usual Springtime home-buyer demand coupled with more attractive mortgage rates,” said Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. “However, a cautionary note is warranted, as we shouldn’t read too much into one great quarter. A similar trend occurred last Spring, with lending dropping off significantly later in the year. But with interest rates settling down and projections for more cuts from the Federal Reserve over the coming months, it wouldn’t be surprising if business increased even more for lenders over the rest of 2024, or at least didn’t drop significantly.”

Total lending recovers losses over the past year but remains well below peaks
Banks and other lenders issued a total of 1,615,281 residential mortgages in the second quarter of 2024, up from 1,311,377 in first quarter of 2024.

The latest total was still down slightly from 1,642,100 in the second quarter of 2023 and remained far behind a recent high point of 4,167,656 hit in the first quarter of 2021. But the recent gain mostly reversed three straight quarters of declines.

A total of $532.7 billion was lent to home owners and buyers in the second quarter of this year. That was up from $417.4 billion in the prior quarter and from $526.8 billion in the second quarter of 2023, although still less than half the recent peak of $1.3 trillion in 2021.

Overall lending activity followed a similar pattern at the metropolitan area level. The total rose from the first quarter to the second quarter of this year in 201, or 98 percent, of the 205 metropolitan statistical areas around the U.S. that had a population of 200,000 or more and at least 1,000 total residential mortgages issued from April through June of 2024. But it remained down from the second quarter of 2023 in 118, or 58 percent, of the metro areas analyzed.

The largest quarterly increases were in Boulder, CO (total lending up 106.5 percent from the first quarter of 2024 to the second quarter of 2024); Honolulu, HI (up 100.2 percent); Appleton, WI (up 63.1 percent); Sioux Falls, SD (up 56.8 percent) and Champaign, IL (up 54.7 percent).

Aside from Honolulu, metro areas with a population of least 1 million that had the biggest increases in total loans from the first to the second quarter of 2024 were San Jose, CA (up 46 percent); Minneapolis MN (up 44.3 percent); Indianapolis, IN (up 42.3 percent) and Boston, MA (up 35.4 percent).

The only metro areas with enough data to analyze where lending went down quarterly were Pensacola, FL (down 19.8 percent); Buffalo, NY (down 16.1 percent); Atlantic City, NJ (down 2.4 percent) and Springfield, IL (down 1.7 percent)

Measured annually, the largest declines in total lending among metro areas with a population of at least 1 million were in San Antonio, TX (total lending down 19.1 percent from the second quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2024); St. Louis, MO (down 14.9 percent); Austin, TX (down 13.9 percent); Dallas, TX (down 11.5 percent) and Buffalo, NY (down 11 percent).

Purchase mortgages, also up quarterly but slightly down annually, remain top loan type
The second-quarter purchase-loan total of 782,937 was up from 590,058 in the first quarter of 2024 while the $311 billion dollar volume of purchase loans was 39.2 percent higher than the $223.4 billion first-quarter level.

But the total was off 7 percent from 841,984 a year earlier and remained 50 percent lower than a high point hit in the Spring of 2021. The dollar amount was still off by 2.2 percent from $318.1 billion in the second quarter of last year and 42 percent beneath the 2021 peak.

Residential purchase-mortgage originations increased quarterly in 98 percent of the 205 metro areas in the report, while remaining down annually in 74 percent of those markets.

The largest quarterly increases were in Wichita, KS (purchase loans up 183.5 percent from the first quarter of 2024 to the second quarter of 2024); Boulder, CO (up 148.8 percent); Honolulu, HI (up 143.5 percent); Indianapolis, IN (up 86.8 percent) and Fort Wayne, IN (up 82.8 percent).

Aside from Honolulu and Indianapolis, the biggest quarterly increases in metro areas with a population of at least 1 million in the second quarter of 2024 came in San Jose, CA (up 68.5 percent); Boston, MA (up 65.9 percent) and Minneapolis, MN (up 60 percent).

The top annual decreases in purchase lending in metro areas with a population of at least 1 million were in San Antonio, TX (down 32 percent from the second quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2024); Dallas, TX (down 24 percent); Austin, TX (down 22.1 percent); Houston, TX (down 20.3 percent) and St. Louis, MO (down 19.6 percent).

The portion of all lending comprised by purchase mortgages rose for the first time in a year. It increased to 48.5 percent in the second quarter of 2024, from 45 percent in the prior quarter, although still down from 51.3 in the second quarter of 2023. Loans issued to buyers remained the most common loan category, way up from 29.7 percent in early 2021 when refinance deals were dominating the lending business.

Refinance mortgages turn back upward
Lenders issued 545,928 residential refinance mortgages in the second quarter of 2024. That was up from 494,862 in the first quarter of 2024 and 503,364 a year earlier.

The most recent figure represented the latest in a series of small comebacks after a spike in interest rates in 2021 and 2022 sent refinance lending downward by more than 80 percent.

The $168.1 billion dollar volume of refinance packages in the second quarter of 2024 was up 10.6 percent from $152 billion in the prior quarter and 8.5 percent from $155 billion in the second quarter of 2023.

Refinancing activity increased quarterly in 80 percent and annually in 76 percent of the metro areas around the U.S. with enough data to analyze.

The largest quarterly increases were in Honolulu, HI (refinance loans up 69.7 percent from the first quarter of 2024 to the second quarter of 2024); Sioux Falls, SD (up 54.5 percent); Boulder, CO (up 54.5 percent); Champaign, IL (up 53.1 percent) and Appleton, WI (up 50 percent).

Aside from Honolulu, metro areas with a population of least 1 million where refinance activity increased most quarterly were Providence, RI (up 29 percent); Minneapolis, MN (up 24.9 percent); Detroit, MI (up 24.7 percent) and Kansas City, MO (up 23.2 percent).

Metro areas with a population of least 1 million and the largest year-over-year increases in the number of refinance loans were Honolulu (up 43.9 percent from the second quarter of 2023 to the second quarter of 2024); Birmingham, AL (up 28.8 percent); Phoenix, AZ (up 26.9 percent); Las Vegas, NV (up 26.8 percent) and Tucson, AZ (up 26.7 percent).

Refinance packages comprised 33.8 percent of all loan originations in the second quarter of 2024. That was down from 37.7 percent in the prior quarter and far less than the 65.8 percent portion in the first quarter of 2021.

HELOC lending also climbs, nearly reaching levels from a year earlier
Home-equity lines of credit (HELOCs) also increased, going from 226,417 in the first quarter of 2024 to 286,416 in the second quarter. The improvement nearly wiped away losses sustained over the prior year, approaching the figure of 296,752 in the second quarter of 2023.

The $53.6 billion volume of HELOC loans in the second quarter of 2024 was up from $42 billion in the prior three-month period, almost equaling the $53.7 billion lent in the second quarter of last year.

HELOCs comprised 17.7 percent of all loans in the most recent quarter. That was down from 18.1 percent in the second quarter of 2023 but was still almost four times the level recorded in 2020.

HELOC mortgage originations increased from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2024 in 98 percent of the metro areas analyzed. The largest quarterly increases in metro areas with a population of at least 1 million were in Rochester, NY (up 49.6 percent); Detroit, MI (up 47.6 percent); Minneapolis, MN (up 40.6 percent); Milwaukee, WI (up 38.3 percent) and Grand Rapids, MI (up 38.2 percent).

FHA and VA loan percentages decline
Mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) decreased in the second quarter of 2024 as a percentage of all home loans after 10 straight quarterly increases. They accounted for 223,919, or 13.9 percent, of all residential property loans originated in the second quarter of 2024. That was down from 16.4 percent in the first quarter of this year, although still up from 13.6 percent in the second quarter of 2023.

Residential loans backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) totaled 81,864, or 5.1 percent, of all residential property loans originated in the second quarter of 2024. That was down from 5.4 percent in both the previous quarter and the second quarter of 2023.

Typical purchase loan and down-payment percentage increase along with home prices
As the national median home price hit a new high in the second quarter of 2024, the typical single-family home loan and median down-payment percentage both rose.

Among homes purchased with financing in the second quarter of 2024, the median loan amount climbed to $368,207. That was up 7.2 percent from $343,561 in the prior quarter and 8.4 percent from $339,625 a year earlier.

Also rising was the median down payment, going up 11.1 percent quarterly, to $24,250; although it was still down 7.7 percent from a year earlier.

Report methodology

ATTOM analyzed recorded mortgage and deed of trust data for single-family homes, condos, town homes and multi-family properties of two to four units for this report. Each recorded mortgage or deed of trust was counted as a separate loan origination. Dollar volume was calculated by multiplying the total number of loan originations by the average loan amount for those loan originations.

About ATTOM
ATTOM provides premium property data to power products that improve transparency, innovation, efficiency, and disruption in a data-driven economy. ATTOM multi-sources property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation’s population. A rigorous data management process involving more than 20 steps validates, standardizes, and enhances the real estate data collected by ATTOM, assigning each property record with a persistent, unique ID — the ATTOM ID. The 30TB ATTOM Data Warehouse fuels innovation in many industries including mortgage, real estate, insurance, marketing, government and more through flexible data delivery solutions that include ATTOM Cloudbulk file licensesproperty data APIsreal estate market trendsproperty navigator and more. Also, introducing our newest innovative solution, making property data more readily accessible and optimized for AI applications– AI-Ready Solutions

Media Contact:
Megan Hunt
megan.hunt@attomdata.com 

Data and Report Licensing:
datareports@attomdata.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/home-mortgage-lending-rebounds-nationwide-with-across-the-board-gains-in-second-quarter-of-2024-302233320.html

SOURCE ATTOM

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Passive Bitcoin Income: The Best Cloud Mining Platforms for Reliable Earnings

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A guide to short-term Bitcoin mining, featuring BitFuFu, ZT Mining, and Hashing24 for flexible contracts and quick profits.

READING, England, Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Engaging in bitcoin mining presents an accessible and potentially lucrative venture for those intrigued by digital currencies but reluctant to endure the complexities and long timelines associated with traditional investment routes.

Short-term mining contracts are popular among beginners as they look to improve their understanding of the market. These contracts range from as brief as a day to several months, offering immediate entry into the mining scene without the long-term entanglements.

The appeal of short-term bitcoin mining is magnified by the ease of access to these services. Legit cloud mining platforms give individuals the opportunity to lease mining power remotely and eliminate traditional obstacles such as acquiring and maintaining hardware. Investors simply select a mining plan that aligns with their financial objectives and risk tolerance, and the platform handles the operational complexities

BitFuFu Cloud Mining

BitFuFu offers a diverse range of contracts, from short to medium-term, tailored to different risk appetites and investment levels. For those looking for quick, low-risk ventures, the Easy Mining plans range from 3 to 50 days, with a starting investment as low as . These plans are ideal for newcomers wanting to dip their toes in mining without significant upfront costs. For example, the Easy Mining 3 Days plan, with an estimated acquisition cost of 5,602.2, starts investments at , promising a low-risk and low-return profile.

On the other hand, BitFuFu’s Pro Mining contracts target more seasoned miners looking for higher returns, albeit with higher risks. The Pro Mining S19 XP 30 Days plan, for instance, boasts a 107.48% return, indicative of the lucrative possibilities for those willing to invest more heavily in their mining endeavors.

ZT Mining

ZT Mining lets you mine over ten different cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Monero, and Zcash. This means you can pick and choose and not just stick to one kind, making it fun to try out different ones. They also make sure everything is super safe. They use special security to protect your information and have strong defenses against online attacks, so everything runs smoothly without any interruptions.

ZT Mining is really cool because it has lots of different mining contracts that can last just a day or even longer, so you can see how much money you can make in a short time or a bit longer. They have a special starter package for only $35, and it’s just for one day. If you try this, you’ll get $36 back the next day, which means you make a $1 profit.

That’s pretty awesome for just a day’s work, right? Plus, if you feel like going bigger, they have longer plans where you can earn a lot more money, like the 15-day plan for mining Dogecoin that can make you thousands in profit!

Hashing24

Hashing24 makes it easy to get into bitcoin mining with its straightforward contracts that last anywhere from 3 to 24 months. Every contract has a steady hash rate of 60 MH/s, perfect for those who want a predictable and simple mining experience.

For those just starting out or looking for a short-term investment, Hashing24’s 3-Month Plan is a great entry point. It’s priced at $22.20 and offers an estimated mining return of $22.21, essentially allowing you to make back your initial investment quickly. It is ideal for testing the waters of cloud mining without committing to a long-term plan.

Investors aiming for substantial long-term gains will find the 24-Month Plan an excellent option. Priced at $111.60, it offers a projected return of 159%, appealing to those prepared to commit to a longer investment period for significant earnings.

Conclusion

Picking the right cloud mining platform is super important if you want to make money with Bitcoin without doing much work. Platforms like BitFuFu, ZT Mining, and Hashing24 have different plans that last for various times and cost different amounts of money. This means you can find one that fits what you’re comfortable with, whether you’re just getting started with cryptocurrency or you want to make a lot of money. By choosing the best plan for you, you can make your money work for you and watch as it grows over time.

Media Contact

Nancy.Delia, ZT CLOUD SERVICES LIMITED, 44 7301463290, support@ztmining.com, https://ztmining.vip

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/passive-bitcoin-income-the-best-cloud-mining-platforms-for-reliable-earnings-302338359.html

SOURCE ZT Mining

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CATL Launches the Bedrock Chassis That Withstands 120 km/h Impact Without Catching Fire or Exploding

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NINGDE, China, Dec. 24, 2024 /CNW/ — On December 24th, CATL officially launched the CATL Bedrock Chassis, the world’s first ultra-safe skateboard chassis. With its outstanding performance of withstanding 120 km/h frontal impact without catching fire or exploding, CATL’s Bedrock Chassis sets a new standard for intelligent chassis safety, providing comprehensive protection across all scenarios and speed ranges.

Lead the industry with the most stringent safety tests

With the battery-centered design, CATL’s Bedrock Chassis utilizes Cell-to-Chassis integration technology, which directly integrates the battery cells into the chassis, allowing for a shared structural design between them. And based on the decoupling of the chassis from the upper body, the Bedrock Chassis is capable of absorbing 85% of the vehicle’s collision energy (compared to around 60% absorbed by traditional chassis).

Through various technological breakthroughs, the Bedrock Chassis successfully passed the world’s first “highest speed + strongest impact” dual extreme safety test. This achievement enables the chassis to pass the 120 km/h frontal central pole impact test without catching fire, exploding or thermal runway, redefining the benchmark for safety in the industry.

Currently, the speed for frontal impact safety test in the commonly used C-NCAP (China New Car Assessment Program) is 56km/h, which, when experiencing a frontal impact at this speed, generates collision energy equivalent to falling from 12-meter-high building. In comparison, a frontal impact at 120km/h is equivalent to falling from a 56-meter-high building, generating a collision energy 4.6 times that of collision at 56km/h.

In more stringent frontal pole crash tests, which simulate crashes with non-standard objects such as power poles, large trees, or animals, the impact area is only 1/6 of that in a full-width frontal impact, exponentially increasing impact pressure. At a speed of 120km/h, the impact pressure on the chassis per unit area in a frontal central pole impact is 21 times that of the 56 km/h full-width frontal impact in C-NCAP testing.

Due to the extremely high crash speed and intensity, there has been no previous instance of any new energy vehicle daring to challenge a 120km/h frontal pole impact test. With this extreme challenge, CATL’s Bedrock Chassis has blazed a fresh trail for the industry.

Open the era of ultra-safe transportation through three technological breakthroughs

CATL’s Bedrock Chassis has delved deep into the realm of structure and material innovation, leveraging three technological breakthroughs to provide unparalleled protection in all scenarios and speed ranges, ensuring rock-solid safety for the entire vehicle.

The CATL Bedrock Chassis introduces a revolutionary three-dimensional biomimetic tortoise shell structure, where the body and energy unit framework are integrated, deeply coupled to provide the energy unit with indestructible protection. And its aircraft carrier-grade arresting structure disperses impact forces across multiple pathways during a crash, gradually decelerating the vehicle and significantly reducing the depth and speed at which obstacles intrude the cabin. The utilization of submarine-grade hot-formed steel with a strength of 2000MPa, aerospace-grade aluminum alloy with a strength of 600MPa, and multiple barrier structures further enhance the chassis’ rigidity, making it virtually impervious.

Moreover, the CATL Bedrock Chassis incorporates an ultra-safe battery cell design, NP technology, and a high-ductility energy-absorbing insulation film, leading the industry in a groundbreaking manner. In terms of high-voltage disconnection, it achieves instantaneous disconnection of high voltage circuit within 0.01 seconds of impact and completes the discharge of residual high-voltage energy in the vehicle within 0.2 seconds, setting a new industry record.

Notably, the battery cells have undergone highly demanding tests, including high-speed sled impact tests at 60 km/h, 90-degree bending tests, and breakthrough sawing tests, the battery did not catch fire or explode across all three tests. These tests, all industry-firsts by CATL, have elevated the safety standards of battery cells to new heights.

Unlocking the era of customization, and activating a trillion-yuan market

The launch of the Bedrock Chassis not only redefines the standard for intelligent chassis safety but also activates a trillion-yuan market. It greatly accelerates the shift towards modular, personalized, and intelligent automotive design.

Addressing the common pain points of high investment, long development cycles, and accelerated product iteration in the industry, the Bedrock Chassis incorporates three core characteristics: internal integration, decoupling of the chassis from the upper body, and external openness. With a rich array of toolkits and solution packages, it offers a scalable software and hardware architecture and standardized interfaces, enabling flexible configurations for different vehicle models and scenarios. This allows the realization of a “one chassis architecture, multiple vehicle models” concept and significantly improves development efficiency and shortens the R&D cycle. The time required for mass production of a vehicle is reduced from the traditional 36 months or longer to 12 to 18 months.

Furthermore, the Bedrock Chassis breaks the limits of safety and modeling, and expands design flexibility through the design of decoupling of the chassis from the upper body. The fourth-generation Cell-to-Chassis (CTC) technology and inverted battery cell technology enhance the utilization of chassis space while reducing the risk of chassis scraping. Additionally, in terms of intelligence, the chassis supports mechanical decoupling, software decoupling and EE decoupling, enabling L3 to L4 intelligent driving capabilities. It provides high adaptability interfaces and promotes collaborative intelligent applications.

At the launch ceremony, AVATR, the first automaker to use Bedrock Chassis, and CAIT-SH, CATL’s skateboard chassis arm, signed an agreement to deepen cooperation on CATL’s Bedrock Chassis to create a safer, higher-quality travel experience for users.

Safety is a never-ending journey. In the future, CATL will continue to break technological barriers through continuous innovation, and work with partners to build a safe ecosystem for EV batteries and vehicles, safeguarding the safety of users.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/catl-launches-the-bedrock-chassis-that-withstands-120-kmh-impact-without-catching-fire-or-exploding-302338927.html

SOURCE Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL)

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Live Good: A Journey of Courage, Education and Purpose

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Live Good is the realization of one individual’s inspiring vision to create something meaningful to share with the world.

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Founded on the principles of time, education and a sense of purpose, Live Good aspires to empower individuals through access to transformative learning opportunities.

“When I finally found the courage to create Live Good, I wanted it to embody the values and principles that I find meaningful,” said Jennifer Chi, founder of Live Good. “To me, the most precious resource in life is time. The time you spend can never be reclaimed. If I was going to spend all this time and energy on something, it had to be something I deeply believed in.”

The second cornerstone of Live Good is education. Drawing from personal experiences, Jennifer emphasizes education as a life-changing force. Books became vital growing up, opening windows to new perspectives and worlds. “My favorite book as a child was Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder,” Jennifer shared. “It may have been a simple book about a girl living in the 1800s learning how to cook and do chores to help her family, but now I understand how incredible it was that a little girl living back then even knew how to read and write. She had the foresight to understand that writing about her life on the prairie, however simple it seemed, might be of some importance in the future. And she had the courage to publish her own words.”

Recognizing the transformative power of education and the impact of mentorship, Live Good prioritizes access to education as a central mission. “My love for reading and curiosity for learning became a lifeline,” Jennifer added. “I was blessed with teachers who saw potential in a very quiet and shy little girl. Live Good is my way of giving others the same opportunities that once gave me a little spark inside and a pathway forward.”

Through innovative programs and partnerships, Live Good aims to make education accessible and foster growth and resilience. It’s more than an initiative—it’s a testament to the belief that every moment spent on meaningful endeavors can ripple out to create a brighter future for others.

Live Good proudly aligns with educational models, such as Capstone Programs in the University of California (UC) school system. These programs serve as a bridge between academic learning and real-world application, embodying the mission of Live Good by fostering life-changing learning experiences.

Other educational initiatives focus on collaborating with Women in Information and Computer Sciences within the UC system to create programs that empower women through high-tech training. Additionally, Live Good offers a mentorship program for at-risk youth from schools spanning San Francisco to Southern California to foster college admission and equip students with the skills they need to realize their dreams.

For more information about Live Good Inc, and to sign up for their newsletter, visit Live Good Inc. Follow on Instagram, Facebook and Threads.

Contact:
Adrienne Johnson
***@gmail.com

Photos:
https://www.prlog.org/13053993

Press release distributed by PRLog

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/live-good-a-journey-of-courage-education-and-purpose-302338750.html

SOURCE Live Good Inc.

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