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HOME-MORTGAGE LENDING NEAR TWO-DECADE LOW AS SLUMP CONTINUES ACROSS U.S. DURING FOURTH QUARTER

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Residential Loans Drop Another 14 Percent; Purchase, Refinance and Home-Equity Lending All Decline

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, today released its fourth-quarter 2023 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report, which shows that 1.35 million mortgages secured by residential property (1 to 4 units) were issued in the United States during the fourth quarter, representing a 13.8 percent decline from the prior quarter. The drop-off marked the tenth in the last 11 quarters.

The fourth-quarter fallback left total residential lending activity down 16.5 percent from a year earlier and 67.7 percent from a high point hit in the first quarter of 2021. It came amid another period of elevated home prices and mortgage rates along with low supplies of homes for sale.

Ongoing declines in lending activity during the fourth quarter resulted from losses in all major categories of residential lending. Purchase-loan activity went down another 18.4 percent quarterly, to about 618,000, while refinance deals slumped 7.9 percent, to 488,000. Home-equity credit lines sank 12.7 percent, to 241,000.

Measured monetarily, lenders issued $417.4 billion worth of residential mortgages in the fourth quarter of 2023. That was down 14.9 percent from the third quarter of 2023 and 18.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 2022.

The different pace of change among various loan types helped raise the portion of all residential mortgages represented by refinance packages back above one-third, although that level remained far less than where it was three years ago before interest rates started to climb above historically low levels. Purchase loans continued to slip back below half of all mortgages but were still the most common form of mortgage. Home-equity loans dipped further below 20 percent of all activity.

“Multiple powerful forces continued to conspire against the mortgage industry during the fourth quarter, slicing back huge portions of their business,” said Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. “There were signs during the peak buying season of 2022 that things were starting to turn around, with increases in purchase, refinance and HELOC deals. That could happen again this year as we head into this year’s peak period, especially with interest rates coming down recently. But the fourth-quarter numbers revealed continued gloomy times for lenders, no matter how you sliced the pie.”

Home-mortgage lending took another fall at the end of 2023 as average interest rates for 30-year fixed loans rose to between 7 percent and 8 percent. That further drove up home ownership costs at a time when record home prices in most of the country already were unaffordable, or a significant financial stretch, for average wage earners. Purchase lending took an additional hit from low supplies of homes for sale that helped reduce the number of properties available for potential mortgages.

Total lending activity down in more than 90 percent of nation 
Banks and other lenders issued a total of 1,346,479 residential mortgages in the fourth quarter of 2023, down from 1,562,600 in the third quarter of 2023. The fallback resumed a nearly three-year run of declines that was broken only by a spike in the second quarter of last year.

The latest total also was down annually from 1,612,777 in the fourth quarter of 2022, and from a recent high point of 4,164,755 hit three years ago.

A total of $417.4 billion was lent to homeowners and buyers in the fourth quarter, which was down from $490.3 billion in the prior quarter and down from $512.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022. The latest figure stood at barely more than one-third of the recent quarterly peak of $1.29 trillion hit in the second quarter of 2021.

Overall lending activity dipped lower from the third to the fourth quarter of last year in 184, or 96 percent, of the 191 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 October through December of 2023.

Total lending also remained down from the fourth quarter of 2022 in 183, or 96 percent, of the metro areas analyzed. It was off by at least 15 percent annually in slightly more than half of those markets.

The largest quarterly decreases were in Anchorage, AK (total lending down 45.3 percent from the third quarter of 2023 to the fourth quarter of 2023); St. Louis, MO (down 42 percent); Charleston, SC (down 33.5 percent); Rochester, NY (down 31.5 percent) and South Bend, IN (down 25.7 percent).

Aside from St. Louis and Rochester, metro areas with a population of least 1 million that had the biggest decreases in total loans from the third quarter of 2023 to the fourth quarter of 2023 were Raleigh, NC (down 22.6 percent); Portland, OR (down 22.1 percent) and Denver, CO (down 21.8 percent).

The biggest quarterly increase, or the smallest decreases, among metro areas with a population of at least 1 million came in Buffalo, NY (total lending up 19 percent from the third to the fourth quarter of 2023); Atlanta, GA (down 3 percent); Washington, DC (down 3.6 percent); Orlando, FL (down 5.2 percent) and Fresno, CA (down 5.7 percent).

Refinance mortgage originations down after two straight gains
Lenders issued 487,671 residential refinance mortgages in the fourth quarter of 2023, down from 529,683 in the third quarter. The fallback followed increases in the prior two quarters.

The latest figure was down 5.3 percent from 514,915 in the fourth quarter of 2022 and was 82.2 percent less than a peak of 2,742,931 reached in early 2021.

The $146.2 billion dollar volume of refinance packages in the fourth quarter of 2023 was down 7 percent from $157.2 billion in the third quarter and 13.6 percent from $169.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Refinancing activity shrank quarterly in 157, or 82 percent, of the 191 metro areas around the U.S. with enough data to analyze. It was down annually in 123, or 64 percent, of those metros.

The largest quarterly decreases were in Anchorage, AK (refinance loans down 46.9 percent from the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2023); St. Louis, MO (down 39.2 percent); South Bend, IN (down 35 percent); Rochester, NY (down 31.5 percent) and Springfield, IL (down 25.4 percent).

Aside from St. Louis and Rochester, metro areas with a population of least 1 million where refinance activity decreased most from the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2023 were Memphis, TN (down 23 percent); Raleigh, NC (down 21.7 percent) and Tulsa, OK (down 17.1 percent).

Metro areas with a population of least 1 million and the largest increases in the number of refinance loans from the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2023 were Buffalo, NY (up 25.9 percent); Washington, DC (up 16.3 percent); Las Vegas, NV (up 11.8 percent); Baltimore, MD (up 6.7 percent) and San Diego, CA (up 6.2 percent).

Refinance packages comprised 36.2 percent of all loan originations in the fourth quarter of 2023. That was up from 33.9 percent in the prior quarter and from 31.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022, although still far less than the 65.9 percent portion in the first quarter of 2021.

Purchase mortgages dip again throughout U.S. after a brief surge
Loans issued to home buyers fell back in the last few months of 2023 for the second straight quarter after a surge of nearly 30 percent in the Spring of last year.

The latest total of 618,244 was down from 757,366 in the third quarter of 2023. It was also down 20.2 percent from 774,493 a year earlier and almost 60 percent from a high point hit in the Spring of 2021.

The $227.6 billion dollar volume of purchase loans in the fourth quarter of 2023 was down 20.1 percent from $284.7 billion in the third quarter and 18.9 percent from $280.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Residential purchase-mortgage originations decreased quarterly in 183 of the 191 metro areas in the report (96 percent) and annually in 93 percent of those markets.

The largest quarterly decreases were in Sioux Falls, SD (purchase loans down 66.8 percent from the third to the fourth quarter of 2023); St. Louis, MO (down 46.2 percent); Anchorage, AK (down 44.1 percent); Birmingham, AL (down 40 percent) and Charleston, SC (down 39.3 percent).

Home-purchase borrowing comprised 45.9 percent of all loan originations in the fourth quarter of 2023, down from 48.5 percent in the prior quarter and 48 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022. But the latest level was still way up from 29.6 percent in early 2021 when refinance deals were dominating the lending business.

HELOC lending also falls in most markets
Home-equity lines of credit (HELOCs) also decreased in the fourth quarter of 2023, declining to 240,564 from 275,551 in the third quarter. The latest figure was down 25.6 percent from 323,369 a year earlier. The latest decrease marked the second in a row after a brief uptick last Spring.

The $43.6 billion volume of HELOC loans in the fourth quarter of 2023 was down from $48.4 billion in the third quarter, a 9.8 percent decline. The latest level also was down annually, by 30.6 percent.

HELOCs comprised 17.9 percent of all loans in the most recent quarter. That was down from 20.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 but still four times the level recorded in the early part of 2021.

HELOC mortgage originations decreased from the third quarter of 2023 to the fourth quarter of 2023 in 87 percent of the metro areas analyzed. The largest quarterly decreases in metro areas with a population of at least 1 million were in Honolulu, HI (down 36.3 percent from the third to the fourth quarter of 2023); St. Louis, MO (down 34.3 percent); Rochester, NY (down 31.6 percent); New Orleans, LA (down 23.9 percent) and Milwaukee, WI (down 22.7 percent).

The largest quarterly increases in HELOC activity in metro areas with a population of at least 1 million and sufficient data to analyze came in Kansas City, MO (up 15.4 percent); Dallas, TX (up 6.7 percent); San Diego, CA (up 6.4 percent); Houston, TX (up 5.2 percent) and Washington, DC (up 4.9 percent).

FHA loan portions go up again while VA lending decreases
Mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) rose as a percentage of all lending for the ninth straight quarter. They accounted for 211,184, or 15.7 percent, of all residential property loans originated in the fourth quarter of 2023. That was up from 15.1 percent in the third quarter of 2023 and 11.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Residential loans backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) totaled 58,931, or 4.4 percent, of all residential property loans originated in the fourth quarter of 2023. That was the down from 4.8 percent in the previous quarter and from 5.3 percent a year earlier.

Purchase loan amounts and down payment percentages both decline
As the national median home price decreased in the fourth quarter of 2023, typical single-family home loan amounts and median down-payment percentages also ticked lower.

Among homes purchased with financing in the fourth quarter of 2023, the median loan amount was $305,900. That was down 4.1 percent from $319,113 in the prior quarter, although still up annually by 1.7 percent, from $300,700.

The median down payment of $32,500 on single-family homes purchased with financing in the fourth quarter of 2023 also was down, by 7.1 percent, from $35,000 in the third quarter of 2023. The latest figure represented 9 percent of the median home price, down slightly from 9.2 percent in the third quarter but unchanged from the fourth quarter of 2022.

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 Cloud, bulk file licenses, property data APIs, real estate market trends, property 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

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SOURCE ATTOM

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Pillsbury Notice of Data Breach

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July 18, 2026

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NEW YORK, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (“Pillsbury”) was among many law firms targeted by sophisticated social engineering attempts in an incident last year. While the firm quickly detected and blocked the activity, an unauthorized actor was able to access some of the firm’s documents during a short window of time. Pillsbury notified any impacted clients last year and undertook a detailed process to review the accessed documents for personal information. Pillsbury then began notifying individuals whose personal information was affected. That process is now complete, and today, Pillsbury is publishing substitute notice as a final step.

For more information, please visit the substitute notice on our website at https://www.pillsburylaw.com/en/breach-notice.html. 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pillsbury-notice-of-data-breach-302828892.html

SOURCE Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

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From Remote Racing to Embodied AI: Fibocom and Intedigo Bring 5G Bidirectional Data Transmission into Real-World Applications

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July 18, 2026

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SHANGHAI, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — From July 17 to 20, Fibocom and Intedigo will jointly present a cross-regional, beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) teleoperation demonstration at Booth H3-C408 during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026. Visitors will be able to enter a remote driving cockpit and control a real race car located at HURA PARK in Jiading, Shanghai, steering, accelerating, and braking in real time while experiencing how 5G connectivity enables remote operation.

More than an immersive driving experience, the demonstration provides a live validation of 5G bidirectional data transmission for embodied AI teleoperation. The vehicle continuously sends live track video, vehicle status, and operating data to the remote cockpit, while control commands are transmitted back to the vehicle, creating a closed-loop teleoperation system. Stable, low-latency, and highly reliable connectivity is essential for high-dynamic maneuvers such as high-speed cornering, precision braking, and continuous lane changes.

Developed by Intedigo, the remote driving system connects a real race car with an immersive remote driving cockpit. It supports 1080p@60Hz video transmission, glass-to-glass (G2G) video latency of less than 80 ms, and control latency of less than 10 ms. The demanding racing environment magnifies differences in video continuity and control responsiveness, making communications performance directly perceptible, measurable, and verifiable.

At the joint demonstration, Fibocom’s FM160 5G module provides cellular connectivity for the system. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ X62 5G Modem-RF System, the FM160 supports SA and NSA network architectures as well as 3GPP Release 16. On the downlink, it supports NR Carrier Aggregation (NR CA) with bandwidth of up to 120 MHz, delivering peak speeds of up to 3.5 Gbps in NSA mode and 2.5 Gbps in SA mode. On the uplink, it supports UL MIMO and delivers peak speeds of up to 900 Mbps in SA mode. These capabilities support the continuous transmission of HD video and vehicle status data, along with reliable delivery of control commands.

As embodied AI moves into factories, data centers, logistics operations, and industrial parks, robots are becoming increasingly capable of performing tasks autonomously. Yet complex environments, unexpected events, and edge cases still require Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) remote intervention to help ensure safe and reliable operation.

Daniel Liu, CEO of Intedigo, said:

“5G represents the pinnacle of human communications and the starting point of machine communications. In the past, communications connected people to people; in the future, they will connect people to robots and robots to robots. Remote racing is simply the easiest entry point for people to understand this concept. What we are truly validating is a communications system capable of supporting remote collaboration for embodied AI. HURA makes low-latency remote driving a tangible experience, while RoBOX extends this capability to robots and a broader range of intelligent terminals. Together with Fibocom, we hope to enable more machines to receive remote assistance whenever needed while remaining continuously connected and operating reliably.”

Simon Tao, VP of Wireless Solutions Business Group and General Manager of MBB BU at Fibocom, said:

“As embodied AI enters real-world industrial environments, reliable connectivity will become the foundation for telemetry feedback, remote control and operational management. Fibocom’s 5G solutions, represented by FM160, provide the cellular connectivity required for continuous on-site data transmission and reliable control command delivery. Fibocom will continue collaborating with ecosystem partners such as Intedigo to bring cellular connectivity to more robots, autonomous machines and mobile intelligent terminals, enabling embodied AI systems to stay continuously connected and respond reliably in real-world applications.”

From remote race cars to robots, unmanned equipment, and mobile intelligent terminals, 5G is evolving from connecting people to connecting machines. This joint demonstration makes the capabilities of 5G bidirectional data transmission directly perceptible, experiential, and verifiable, helping pave the way for embodied AI to scale across real-world applications.
 

About Fibocom

Fibocom, founded in 1999, is China’s first wireless communication module company listed on both the A-share and H-share markets (300638.SZ, 0638.HK). As a global leading provider of wireless communication modules and AI solutions, Fibocom leverages wireless communication and artificial intelligence as its core technologies to provide integrated hardware and software solutions that empower industry applications. These solutions accelerate the transformation from “Connect Everything” to “Intelligent Connectivity” across diverse industries.

Fibocom’s one-stop solutions encompass cellular communication, AI, automotive, and GNSS modules, as well as AI toolchains, supporting industry-side and mainstream large model integration, and providing AI Agent, global connectivity, and cloud services, driving the digital intelligence upgrades in industries such as robotics, consumer electronics, low-altitude economy, intelligent transportation, smart retail, and smart energy.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/from-remote-racing-to-embodied-ai-fibocom-and-intedigo-bring-5g-bidirectional-data-transmission-into-real-world-applications-302828996.html

SOURCE Fibocom Wireless Inc.

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DR. PHONE FIX ANNOUNCES SECOND TRANCHE CLOSING OF NON-BROKERED CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURE UNIT FINANCING

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July 18, 2026

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/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

EDMONTON, AB, July 18, 2026 /CNW/ — Dr. Phone Fix Canada Corporation (“Dr. Phone Fix” or the “Company”) (TSXV: DPF) is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated May 19, 2026 and June 24, 2026 (the “Prior News Releases”), it has closed the second tranche of its non-brokered private placement (the “Offering”) of convertible debenture units of the Company (each, a “Unit”). The Company issued 726 Units, at a price of $1,000 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $726,000. Each Unit is comprised of (i) one $1,000 principal amount unsecured convertible debenture of the Company (a “Convertible Debenture”) and (ii) 3,125 common share (“Common Share”) purchase warrants of the Company (each, a “Warrant”). Additional detail on the Offering, including terms of the Convertible Debentures and Warrants, is set out in the Prior News Releases.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid a finder’s fee consisting of an aggregate cash fee of $50,820 and issued an aggregate of 317,625 common share purchase warrants of the Company (each, a “Finder’s Warrant”) to certain qualified arm’s length parties. Each Finder’s Warrant is exercisable to acquire one Common Share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.22 prior to the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering, including any Common Shares issuable upon conversion of the Convertible Debentures or exercise of the Warrants and Finder’s Warrants, are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the closing of the Offering, in accordance with applicable securities laws and TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”) policies. 

The Offering remains subject to final acceptance of the TSXV.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this news release in the United States. Such securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and, accordingly, may not be offered or sold within the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of persons in the United States or “U.S. Persons”, as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from such registration requirements.

About Dr. Phone Fix

Dr. Phone Fix is a national, award-winning, eco-friendly, and customer-centric leader in Canada’s cell phone and electronics repair and certified pre-owned device industry. Founded in 2019, the Company now operates 44 retail locations nationwide through a standardized and scalable operating platform designed to support consistent execution across multiple markets, delivering fast, reliable, and environmentally conscious repair services alongside a curated selection of certified pre-owned devices and premium accessories. Dr. Phone Fix maintains strong partnerships with OEMs and certified suppliers, ensuring consistently high-quality standards across its national footprint. With a focus on responsible device lifecycle management, customer service, and operational discipline, Dr. Phone Fix continues to set the benchmark for device care and resale in Canada.

www.docphonefix.com

NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “may”, “should”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “potential”, “believe”, “intend” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements relating to: the final acceptance of the Offering by the TSXV; and the expected use of proceeds following the closing of the Offering. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company’s financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events; the TSXV will provide its final acceptance of the Offering; and the Company will be able to obtain the financing required in order to develop and continue its business and operations. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the Company’s inability to obtain TSXV final acceptance for the Offering; the potential failure to complete the balance of the Offering or to raise the full anticipated gross proceeds; market conditions and investor demand for the Company’s securities; the Company’s inability to deploy the proceeds as currently intended; and general economic and market conditions. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company’s expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

 

SOURCE Dr. Phone Fix

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