Pending Home Sales Index Hits 73.7, Up 1.5%
Summary
The ABA Office of the Chief Economist reported that the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) reached 73.7 in March 2026, a 1.5% increase from a revised 72.6 in February, exceeding market expectations of a 0.5% gain. Regional data showed strength in the Northeast (58.8, +4.4% MoM) and South (91.6, +3.9% MoM), while the Midwest (73.9, -1.3% MoM) and West (56.9, -2.6% MoM) declined. The ABA noted that increased inventory and pent-up demand are driving activity despite higher mortgage rates, though subdued turnover is expected to keep mortgage origination volumes muted for banks in the near term.
What changed
The ABA DataBank released the March 2026 Pending Home Sales Index at 73.7, representing a 1.5% month-over-month increase and exceeding analyst expectations of 0.5%. Regional performance was mixed, with the Northeast and South posting gains while the Midwest and West declined. The index is a leading indicator of housing contract activity based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes, condos, and co-ops.
For banks and mortgage lenders, the ABA notes that historically subdued turnover is likely to keep mortgage origination volumes muted in the near term despite the uptick in pending sales. This economic data release does not create any compliance obligations but provides context for financial institutions monitoring housing market conditions.
Archived snapshot
Apr 22, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
No Result View All Result
- Ag Banking
- Commercial Lending
- Community Banking
- Compliance and Risk
- Cybersecurity
- Economy
- Human Resources
- Insurance
- Legal
- Mortgage
- Mutual Funds
- Payments
- Policy
- Retail and Marketing
- Tax and Accounting
- Technology
- Wealth Management
- Subscribe
- Advertise
- Magazine Archive
- Newsletter Archive
- Podcast Archive
- Sponsored Content Archive
SUBSCRIBE
- Ag Banking
- Commercial Lending
- Community Banking
- Compliance and Risk
- Cybersecurity
- Economy
- Human Resources
- Insurance
- Legal
- Mortgage
- Mutual Funds
- Payments
- Policy
- Retail and Marketing
- Tax and Accounting
- Technology
- Wealth Management
- Subscribe
- Advertise
- Magazine Archive
- Newsletter Archive
- Podcast Archive
- Sponsored Content Archive No Result View All Result No Result View All Result Home Economy # ABA DataBank: Pending home sales index beats expectations
April 21, 2026 Reading Time: 1 min read The pending home sales index, or PHSI, came in at 73.7 for March, a 1.5% increase from a revised 72.6 in February, exceeding expectations of a 0.5% increase. Regionally, the Northeast was the strongest at 58.8 (+ 4.4% month-over-month), and 91.6 in the South (+3.9% MoM), compared to 73.9 in the Midwest (-1.3% MoM), 56.9 in the West (-2.6% MoM).
The PHSI is a leading indicator of housing activity and measures housing contract activity, based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes, condos and co-ops. Since a home goes under contract a month or two before it is sold, the PHSI generally leads to existing home sales by a month or two. An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, at the start of a period of historically high level of home sales activity.
The ABA Office of the Chief Economist believes that the increase in pending home sales is reflective of increased inventory and pent up demand despite higher mortgage rates. For banks, historically subdued turnover is likely to keep mortgage origination volumes muted in the near term.
Tags: ABA DataBank Pending home sales Share Tweet Pin
Related Posts
House advances ABA-backed bill to ease Section 1071 reporting burden
Commercial Lending April 21, 2026 The House Financial Services Committee voted 26-22 to advance legislation to exempt certain lenders from small-business lending data reporting requirements.
CFPB finalizes rule to revise fair lending enforcement
Compliance and Risk April 21, 2026 The CFPB will issue a final rule to remove disparate impact from enforcement of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, clarify the prohibition on discouraging prospective applicants, and establish new limits on special-purpose credit programs offered by lenders.
Banking groups seek more time for public input on Genius Act implementation
Compliance and Risk April 21, 2026 ABA joined three banking sector associations in requesting that the Treasury Department and FDIC tie the public comment period for three proposed rules to implement the Genius Act to the issuance of a final rule on the matter...
Bank acquisitions announced in three states
Community Banking April 21, 2026 Peoples in Ohio to acquire Kentucky bank; proposed acquisitions announced of banks in Georgia and Kansas.
FDIC issues relief guidance for Washington state banks affected by storms, flooding
Compliance and Risk April 21, 2026 The FDIC released guidance with steps intended to provide regulatory relief to financial institutions and facilitate recovery in areas of Washington state affected by severe weather.
Fed’s Waller calls for streamlining central bank operations
Human Resources April 21, 2026 Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller proposed that the central bank consolidate core functions such as human resources and IT across the 12 Reserve Banks instead of each bank being responsible for its own operations.
NEWSBYTES
House advances ABA-backed bill to ease Section 1071 reporting burden
CFPB finalizes rule to revise fair lending enforcement
Banking groups seek more time for public input on Genius Act implementation
SPONSORED CONTENT
Why Your Systems Keep Slowing Down — and What to Do About It
How leading banks are enhancing customer engagement through financial data insights
Check Fraud Is Outpacing Legacy Controls. What Banks Should Evaluate Now.
How top agricultural lenders are approaching AI, automation and innovation in 2026
PODCASTS
Podcast: Capitalizing on opportunities to serve high-net-worth clients
Podcast: Are credit union commercial loans risky business?
Podcast: Risk and strategy in sponsor banking
March 19, 2026
American Bankers Association
1333 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-BANKERS (800-226-5377)
www.aba.com
About ABA
Privacy Policy
Contact ABA
ABA Banking Journal
About ABA Banking Journal
Media Kit
Advertising
Subscribe
© 2026 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.
No Result View All Result
- Ag Banking
- Commercial Lending
- Community Banking
- Compliance and Risk
- Cybersecurity
- Economy
- Human Resources
- Insurance
- Legal
- Mortgage
- Mutual Funds
- Payments
- Policy
- Retail and Marketing
- Tax and Accounting
- Technology
- Wealth Management
- Subscribe
- Advertise
- Magazine Archive
- Newsletter Archive
- Podcast Archive
- Sponsored Content Archive © 2026 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.
Related changes
Get daily alerts for ABA Banking Journal Compliance
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Source
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from ABA.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when ABA Banking Journal Compliance publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.