ATTOM’s Q1 2026 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report shows that overall lending activity slowed as persistently high home prices and elevated mortgage rates continued to weigh on buyer demand.
The loan origination analysis revealed that lenders originated 1.57 million mortgages backed by one- to four-unit residential properties in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 13 percent decline from the previous quarter but a 5 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Total loan volume reached $577.7 billion in the first quarter, down 12 percent from the previous quarter but up 15 percent from a year earlier.
According to the report, the overall decline was driven primarily by a slowdown in home purchase lending, with purchase loan originations dropping 19 percent from the previous quarter to 581,261. This marks the lowest quarterly level recorded since the first quarter of 2014.
Also, according to ATTOM’s latest report, purchase lending volume totaled $236.8 billion in the first quarter, down 18 percent from the prior quarter and 8 percent below levels recorded a year earlier. Purchase loans made up 37 percent of all residential mortgage originations, declining from 40 percent in the fourth quarter and 44 percent in the first quarter of last year.
ATTOM’s Q1 2026 mortgage origination analysis stated that purchase activity declined in 99% of the metro areas analyzed, with only Yuma, AZ (+28.6%) and Tucson, AZ (+5.9%) posting quarterly gains. The largest drops among major metros were in St. Louis, MO; Rochester, NY; Honolulu, HI; Boston, MA; and Pittsburgh, PA.
In this post we dive into the data behind ATTOM’s latest mortgage origination report highlighting the top 10 U.S. metros, with a population of at least 200,000 and at least 1,000 TOTAL mortgages in the first quarter of 2026, with the largest annual increases in purchase mortgage originations in the first quarter, along with the loan numbers driving that growth.
Those top markets include:
1. Fort Wayne, IN
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 123.1 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 809
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 1,805
2. Indianapolis, IN
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 92.5 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 3.931
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 7,566
3. Atlantic City, NJ
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 19.7 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 543
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 650
4. Evansville, IN
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 18.6 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 695
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 824
5. Santa Cruz, CA
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 18.2 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 318
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 376
6. Lynchburg, VA
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 16.6 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 428
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 499
7. Yuma, AZ
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 16.1 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 410
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 476
8. Barnstable Town, MA
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 15.5 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 477
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 551
9. Buffalo, NY
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 15.5 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 1,722
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 1,989
10. Madison, WI
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- Yearly Increase in Purchase Mortgage Originations: 15.1 percent
- Count of Q1 2025 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 944
- Count of Q1 2026 Purchase Mortgage Originations: 1,087
Want to learn more about mortgage origination trends in your area? Contact us to find out how!
