Single-family construction lending strengthened in the third quarter, even as the broader real estate lending environment continued to cool. Loans for 1–4 family construction rose to $91.2 billion, the first annual increase in more than two years, showing a small but meaningful uptick in residential building activity. Overall AD&C lending, however, continued its decline for the seventh consecutive quarter, dropping to $463 billion, driven mostly by reduced lending for other types of real estate development. Despite the modest improvement in single-family construction loans, lending levels remain far below historical highs reached before the Great Recession.
According to NAHB and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), “the total level of outstanding AD&C loans fell to $463.0 billion in the third quarter of 2025, down 5.6% from one year ago. This year-over-year decrease was led by a drop in other real estate development loans, which decreased 7% over the year to $371.8 billion. Meanwhile, the volume of 1-4 family residential construction and land development loans rose to $91.2 billion in the third quarter, up 0.5% from one year ago.”
