Yes. For a Tax Year 2021 mortgage form 1098 the amount in Box 2 is the loan balance on 1 January 2021 or if the loan began in 2021, the beginning loan balance. This indicates the loan balance(s) that you paid interest on in 2021 which is what you are getting a deduction for on your 2021 return.
Here are the 2021 Instructions for the Mortgage form 1098; see page 6 for a box 2 description.
An ending balance would not indicate what balance you paid interest on in 2021.
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