Residential Construction Loan Volumes Decline Over the Third Quarter

The total volume of outstanding acquisition, development, and construction (AD&C) loans made by FDIC-insured institutions fell for the third consecutive quarter during the third quarter of 2024 to a volume of $490.7 billion, down from $495.8 billion in the second quarter. Interest rates remained higher over the third quarter, as the Fed issued its first rate cut at the end of the quarter in September. Future AD&C lending conditions are poised to improve as the Fed continues its easing cycle over the next year despite potential headwinds of higher Government deficits and economic uncertainty.

The volume of 1-4 family residential construction and land development loans totaled $90.8 billion in the third quarter, down 8.4% from one year ago. This year-over-year decline marked the fifth straight quarter where the total volume of outstanding loans declined compared to a year prior. All other real estate development loans totaled $399.9 billion in the third quarter, down $4.3 billion from the previous quarter.

It is worth noting, the FDIC data represent only the stock of loans, not changes in the underlying flows, so it is an imperfect data source. Lending remains much reduced from years past. The current amount of existing 1-4 family residential AD&C loans now stands 55% lower than the peak level of residential construction lending of $204 billion reached during the first quarter of 2008. Alternative sources of financing, including equity partners, have supplemented this capital market in recent years.

While the volume of 1-4 family residential AD&C loans fell during the third quarter, the volume of past due and nonaccrual residential AD&C loans rose above $1 billion for the first time since 2014. A majority of this outstanding total was made up of loans in nonaccrual status (typically a loan where the lender does not expect to receive payment) which totaled $505.9 million. The outstanding loan balance for those 30-89 days past due was $491.5 million and loans 90 days or more past due totaled $65.4 million. As a share of the total outstanding stock of 1-4 family residential AD&C loans ($90.8 billion), past due and nonaccrual loans ($1.0 billion) made up 1.2% of the outstanding stock of loans.