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After a Fall, Mortgage Apps Surge Again

Mortgage application volumes had seen a decline as mortgage rates rose steadily averaging 4.4 percent last week. But as rates steadied, application volumes increased with the weekly Mortgage Application Survey indicating a rise of 2.7 percent in mortgage applications during the week.

The weekly survey, which is based on the Market Composite Index and is released by MBA, measures the mortgage loan application volume. The purchase index increased 6 percent from a week earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis and was 3 percent higher than the same week a year ago, the survey said.

The refinance index decreased 1 percent from the previous week and the share of refinance activity decreased to 41.8 percent of total applications from 44.4 percent in the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 6.7 percent of total activities during the week.

For government loans, the survey indicated that FHA share of total applications increased 10.3 percent from 9.9 percent in the prior week, while the VA share of total applications increased to 10.7 percent from 10 percent last week. The USDA share of total applications remained unchanged at 0.8 percent.

Other highlights from the survey are as follows:

  • The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances (greater than $453,100) decreased to 4.57 percent from 4.62 percent, with points increasing to 0.51 from 0.50 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans.
  • The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages backed by the FHA increased to 4.68 percent, its highest level since April 2011, from 4.58 percent, with points increasing to 0.75 from 0.71 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans.
  • The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 4.07 percent, its highest level since April 2011, from 4.02 percent, with points decreasing to 0.59 from 0.66 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans.
  • The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs increased to 3.85 percent, its highest level since February 2011, from 3.72 percent, with points increasing to 0.59 from 0.39 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans.

About Author: Radhika Ojha

Radhika Ojha, Online Editor at the Five Star Institute, is a graduate of the University of Pune, India, where she received her B.A. in Commerce with a concentration in Accounting and Marketing and an M.A. in Mass Communication. Upon completion of her master’s degree, Ojha worked at a national English daily publication in India (The Indian Express) where she was a staff writer in the cultural and arts features section. Ojha also worked as Principal Correspondent at HT Media Ltd and at Honeywell as an executive in corporate communications. She and her husband currently reside in Dallas, Texas. You can contact her at [email protected].
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