In Philadelphia, about a third of owner-occupied homes were valued at less than $125,000 in 2021. But that year, only about 2% of mortgages made in the city were the type generally used to purchase properties in this segment of the market, according to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
Mortgages valued at $100,000 or less — referred to as small-dollar mortgages by the Philadelphia Fed — can help aspiring homeowners with lower incomes access properties they can afford. But lenders made fewer of them between 2019 and 2021, according to the Philadelphia Fed’s report, released last week.
Researchers examined federal mortgage data to examine the small-dollar mortgage landscape in the region.
