Technology

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

Published

2 years ago

August 29, 2024

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 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

Technology

Fox ESS Ranks No. 1 Globally in Residential Energy Storage

Published

45 minutes ago

April 24, 2026

WENZHOU, China, April 23, 2026 /CNW/ — Fox ESS, a global leader in renewable energy solutions, has been ranked No. 1 among residential energy storage providers worldwide for 2025, based on MWh shipments in S&P Global Energy’s Residential Energy Storage Market Tracker.

The report also places Fox ESS at No. 1 in Germany and the UK, highlighting the company’s momentum in key markets and expanding distribution footprint.

Compared with 2024, Fox ESS’s global market share rose 50% in 2025, reinforcing its position in a rapidly growing residential storage sector. The company has continued to scale internationally, with global headcount doubling from the end of 2024. As of April 2026, Fox ESS employs more than 5,000 people worldwide, and has added local support through new offices, including in Sydney, Australia.

“We’re thrilled for this remarkable achievement. It reflects our commitment to innovation and product quality, and to making clean, reliable energy practical for households around the world,” said Michael Zhu, CEO of Fox ESS. “We will continue pushing the boundaries to deliver solutions that help homes and businesses move toward energy independence.”

Notably, Fox ESS has launched the Champion’s Choice campaign globally, combining the endorsement of sports champions with recognition from prestigious organizations. With the first stop in Australia, the company signed Ian Thorpe, a five-time Olympic champion last December. The campaign underscores Fox ESS’s ambition to deliver better value for customers and partners.

Fox ESS is committed to building long-term trust with customers and partners. The company delivers reliable, high-quality energy storage systems engineered for consistent performance, supported by rigorous quality-control processes designed to help ensure every product meets the highest standards.

Fox ESS develops solutions that serve both installers and end users. With ongoing investment in R&D, the company stays ahead of evolving market needs, helping installers work more efficiently while enabling homeowners to move toward energy transition and reduce electricity costs.

With a team of more than 400 experts in R&D, Fox ESS continues to refine its product design for easier transportation, installation, and everyday use. The AI-powered FoxCloud app also makes energy management more intuitive, enabling users to monitor and control home energy consumption, manage smart devices, and track detailed generation and usage data in a single streamlined platform, delivering greater peace of mind.

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SOURCE Fox ESS

Technology

Deepvein Mining Tech Wins NY Product Design Gold for Exploration Robotics

Published

45 minutes ago

April 24, 2026

SHANGHAI, April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Deepvein Mining Tech, a developer of robotic systems for mining operations, has received Gold at the 2026 NY Product Design Awards for its Intelligent Geological Mapping and Geochemical Sampling Quadrupedal Robots, a robotics series developed for mineral exploration in remote and high-risk field environments.

The NY Product Design Awards, organized by the International Awards Associate (IAA), recognize achievements in product design and industrial innovation worldwide.

Mining exploration has become increasingly costly and technically challenging as easily accessible deposits are depleted, particularly in remote and geologically complex regions where fieldwork can be slow, labor-intensive and operationally demanding.

Deepvein’s award-winning robotics series was developed to address those constraints through a combination of quadrupedal robotic hardware and integrated software systems. The solution supports route planning, equipment coordination, sample logging and geological data management, helping standardize field operations and reduce manual workloads.

Designed for geological mapping and geochemical sampling, the robotic units can autonomously perform targeted collection tasks while reducing repeated manual fieldwork. A single operating cycle can gather approximately 30 to 50 samples.

According to deployment data from company-operated mining assets in Africa, exploration data collection cycles were reduced from around 12 months to one week, while overall workflow costs fell by approximately 40%.

Beyond efficiency gains, the use of robotic systems in steep, high-temperature or hard-to-access areas can help reduce personnel exposure to hazardous conditions. Improved targeting and digital workflow management can also limit unnecessary surface disturbance during early-stage exploration.

Deepvein is developing a broader portfolio of mining robotics covering the industry lifecycle, with future applications expected in transport support, inspection, maintenance and site rehabilitation, alongside continued iteration of its exploration-stage systems.

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SOURCE Deepvein Mining Tech

Technology

SK Group Establishes Foundation for AI Collaboration with Vietnam

Published

2 hours ago

April 24, 2026

SK Telecom and SK Innovation sign separate MOUs with Vietnam’s Nghe An Province and the National Innovation Center (NIC) to foster artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem development.From AI data center (AIDC) construction to stable power supply, Korea’s full-stack AI is poised for its first overseas expansion.SK Chairman Chey Tae-won: “SK Group will contribute to the advancement of Vietnam’s AI industry through its comprehensive AI portfolio.”

SEOUL, South Korea, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SK Group announced it will collaborate with Vietnam to build the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry ecosystem and develop core AI infrastructure.

At the Korea–Vietnam Business Forum held in Hanoi on April 23, SK Group signed separate memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the Nghe An Provincial Government and Vietnam’s National Innovation Center (NIC) to foster AI ecosystem development.

The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources of Korea, and Ngo Van Tuan, Minister of Finance of Vietnam.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Nghe An Provincial People’s Committee and SK Group was signed by Vo Trong Hai, Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People’s Committee; Choo Hyeong-wook, President & CEO of SK Innovation; and Jung Jai-hun, President & CEO of SK Telecom.

Another MOU between the National Innovation Center (NIC) and SK Group was signed by Vu Quoc Huy, Director General of NIC; Choo Hyeong-wook, President & CEO of SK Innovation; and Jung Jai-hun, President & CEO of SK Telecom.

Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group and Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), also attended the ceremony.

Earlier, at the Korea–Vietnam Summit, the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in future growth sectors such as AI, semiconductors, and energy. SK Group’s MOUs with Vietnam represent this bilateral cooperation being put into action by the private sector.

Through these partnerships, SK Group plans to support Vietnam’s growth as a key partner in its national AI strategy. In addition, building on AI data center development and stable power supply, SK Group is expected to lay the groundwork for the first overseas expansion of its “Korean-style AI full-stack” model, linking AI model development and validation with the rollout of industry-specific AI services.

Joint AIDC feasibility study in Nghe An linked to the Quynh Lap LNG Power Project

SK Innovation and SK Telecom signed an MOU with the Nghe An provincial government to jointly explore developing an AIDC and related infrastructure projects in the region. Nghe An is a major economic hub in north-central Vietnam and has emerged as a fast-growing region for manufacturing, energy and advanced industries, supported by its port and logistics infrastructure.

SK Innovation will explore broad cooperation opportunities in energy solutions, including supplying electricity to the data center and building dedicated generation facilities connected to the Quynh Lap LNG Power Project, for which it was recently selected as the developer.

SK Telecom plans to review options for developing, building, and operating the AIDC while also seeking to secure global demand. The Nghe An provincial government agreed to discuss support measures to help advance the partnership, including permits, administrative procedures, inter-ministerial coordination and incentive programs.

In February, SK Innovation was selected as a developer for the Quynh Lap LNG power project in Nghe An Province, together with PV Power, a power generation subsidiary of Vietnam’s state-owned oil and gas group PVN, and local company NASU. The project is a large-scale energy infrastructure initiative that includes the development of a 1,500-MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant, an LNG terminal, and a dedicated port, with construction scheduled to begin in 2027 and completion targeted for 2030. From the proposal stage, SK Innovation also presented a model to foster high value-added industries by integrating SK Group’s AI and semiconductor capabilities in areas near the power plant, thereby laying the foundation for the current partnership.

At the forum, the Nghe An government also presented the SK Innovation consortium with the Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) for the Quynh Lap Power Project, reaffirming its commitment to the development.

“Drawing on SK Group’s experience in operating large-scale power generation and diverse energy solution businesses, we will ensure the successful development of the local power infrastructure,” said Choo Hyeong-wook, President & CEO of SK Innovation, during a presentation titled “Vietnam’s Economic Leap through AI + Energy Innovation.”

Cooperation with NIC to Build Vietnam’s AI Ecosystem

SK Telecom and SK Innovation also signed a comprehensive MOU with Vietnam’s NIC to support the development of the country’s AI ecosystem.

The two sides agreed to cooperate on AIDC development, energy infrastructure development and the establishment of policy and institutional frameworks to foster the AI industry.

Under the agreement, SK Telecom will support AI ecosystem development in Vietnam through technology collaboration and investment promotion, and SK Innovation will provide energy solutions for AIDCs and related industries. The NIC will provide institutional support, such as coordinating with government agencies, improving regulations and developing policy, while also identifying and connecting local partners to facilitate project execution.

Established in 2019 by the Vietnamese government, NIC serves as the country’s national innovation hub, leading initiatives in AI, semiconductors and investment promotion. SK Group has maintained a close partnership with NIC, including a previous $30 million contribution toward its establishment.

Jung Jai-hun, President and CEO of SK Telecom, said, “AI data centers are key infrastructure that underpins the growth of the AI industry. Building on SK Group’s accumulated capabilities in the development, construction, and operation of AI data centers, we will further refine a collaboration model tailored to the Vietnamese market.”

First Overseas Expansion of Chairman Chey Tae-won’s “AI Full-Stack Provider” Vision

This partnership in Vietnam is significant as it could mark SK Group’s first overseas expansion of the “AI full-stack provider” strategy, integrating capabilities in AIDC, power, and energy solutions.

Chairman Chey Tae-won has consistently articulated his vision of transforming SK Group into an “AI full-stack provider.” Leveraging SK Group’s strengths across the AI value chain—including semiconductors, data centers, power and energy solutions, and AI services—the Group aims to build the most efficient AI infrastructure model.

Under this vision, SK Group is advancing the development of the 100-MW hyperscale “SK AI Data Center Ulsan,” targeted for completion in 2027. The Group has also been laying the groundwork for Korea to emerge as an Asia-Pacific AI hub by engaging in discussions with OpenAI on collaboration for AI data center development in Korea.

Ahead of the Korea–Vietnam Business Forum, Chairman Chey Tae-won said at a business roundtable, “AI will play a critical role in Vietnam’s continued growth. SK Group has a portfolio spanning the entire AI ecosystem—from energy and semiconductors to AI models and applications—and we will leverage this to make tangible contributions to the development of Vietnam’s AI industry.”

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom has been leading the growth of the mobile industry since 1984. Now, it is taking customer experience to new heights by extending beyond connectivity. By placing AI at the core of its business, SK Telecom is rapidly transforming into an AI company with a strong global presence. It is focusing on driving innovations in areas of AI Infrastructure, AI Transformation (AIX) and AI Service to deliver greater value for industry, society, and life.

For more information, please contact skt_press@sk.com or visit our LinkedIn page www.linkedin.com/company/sk-telecom.

About SK Innovation

Founded in 1962 as Korea Oil Corporation, SK Innovation has been at the forefront of Korea’s energy industry for over six decades. The company has pioneered numerous milestones, including Korea’s first overseas oil field development, the vertical integration of its energy and chemical businesses, the nation’s first private LNG import, and a strategic entry into the electric vehicle battery business.

Now, SK Innovation has reached a transformative turning point in its journey to become a Comprehensive Global Energy Company. Extending beyond its traditional oil business to encompass the entire energy value chain -spanning LNG & Power, Renewable Energy, and Energy Solutions- the company is driving global expansion, including in Vietnam.

For more information, please visit the official SK Innovation website at www.skinnovation.com.

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SOURCE SK Group; SK Telecom