ICE Leaders on How Climate Risk Affects Housing Affordability

HousingWire
HousingWireMay 6, 2026

Why It Matters

Integrating climate risk into mortgage analytics reveals immediate credit stress and long‑term valuation losses, forcing lenders and borrowers to adapt underwriting and insurance strategies.

Key Takeaways

  • Extreme weather events raise mortgage delinquency rates within three months.
  • Property insurance costs surged 70% in six years nationwide.
  • Homebuyers consider climate risk important; 40% rate it very/extremely.
  • Flood‑prone homes appreciate 0.2‑0.4% slower, costing $31B in losses.
  • ICE embeds climate data into loan origination and servicing platforms.

Summary

The video brings together Larry Lawrence of ICE Climate and Andy Walden of ICE Mortgage Data to discuss how climate risk is intersecting with housing affordability, focusing on mortgage performance, insurance costs, and buyer behavior.

Their research shows that after wildfires, hurricanes or floods, short‑term mortgage delinquency spikes in the next one‑to‑three months, and loans in high‑risk zones face elevated long‑term delinquency. Property‑insurance premiums have risen about 70% over six years, now the fastest‑growing component of a mortgage payment, and higher insurance costs correlate with higher delinquency across credit scores and DTI bands.

Notable findings include that 40% of recent homebuyers rate climate risk as very or extremely important, flood‑prone properties appreciate 0.2‑0.4% slower—equating to roughly $31 billion of lost residential value since 2013—and insurance‑switching churn has climbed to 11.5% as consumers seek cheaper coverage.

ICE is making climate and insurance data actionable by delivering flat files, APIs, and embedded solutions within its origination and servicing platforms, enabling lenders to price risk more accurately and helping borrowers navigate rising costs, signaling a shift toward climate‑aware credit underwriting.

Original Description

On today’s sponsored episode, Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler talks with Larry Lawrence, global head of sustainable finance data at Intercontinental Exchange, and Andy Walden, head of mortgage and housing market research at ICE, about climate risk and housing affordability.
Related to this episode:
ICE Mortgage Monitor
ICE Climate
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