Tag Archives: Adjustable-Rate Mortgage

More than 95 percent of borrowers who refinanced in this year's third quarter selected a fixed-rate loan, according to data from Freddie Mac.

Mortgage activity was down last week, dropping 11 percent from the previous week and by almost one-third from the same week last year.

Fixed mortgage rates fell back slightly to start November as investors anxiously wait for signs of which direction the economy is headed.

Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) showed surprisingly little life this week following the better-than-expected jobs report for September. While rates did rise for the week ending October 11, most increases were mild. The 30-year fixed average posted the largest growth, rising to 3.39 percent (0.7 point) from 3.36 percent├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┬Øa record low├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┬Øthe week before. Bankrate's survey saw more dramatic increases, with the 30-year fixed hiking up seven basis points to 3.59 percent.

Homeowners and potential first-time buyers couldn't be tempted by record-low mortgage rates last week, according to the Mortech Inc. and Mortgage Daily's U.S. Mortgage Market Index.

For the second week in a row, mortgage rates hit new record lows, and for the first time since mid-October 2009, the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rate is lower than the 5-year adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) rate. Frank Nothaft, VP and chief economist at Freddie Mac, attributes the falling rates to "mortgage securities purchases by the Federal Reserve and indicators of a weakening economy," such as slow personal income growth in August and last quarter's downwardly revised Gross Domestic Product.

Mortgage applications saw increased activity in the last week of September, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported.

More consumers are applying for a mortgage - on both the refinance and homebuying fronts - and taking advantage of exceptionally low borrowing costs. The Mortgage Bankers Association says its composite measurement of total mortgage application volume rose 2.8 percent last week as all fixed-rate loan products posted their lowest average rates in the history of the trade group's survey. With mortgage rates resuming their fall, housing affordability remains extremely high even as home values head higher across much of the country.

Closing rates and the time it takes to close on a residential mortgage increased in August, according to the most recent report from Ellie Mae. Ellie Mae estimates a closing rate of about 47.8 percent in August, up from 45.8 percent in July. The rate for purchase loans was 60.1 percent in August, up from 57.8 percent in July, marking the fourth consecutive increase. The closing rate for refinance loans decreased from 37.9 percent in July to 40.9 percent in August. The time it took to close a loan was 49 days in August, up just one day from July's closing time.

Financial markets reacted to the Federal Reserve's announced stimulus last week, with investors dumping their money in more safe-haven Treasury debt, lowering mortgage rates accordingly. According to real estate website Zillow, which releases weekly surveys on the subject, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 3.38 percent to 3.34 percent last week. Rates for the 15-year home loan slid to 2.71 percent, while those for 5-year and 1-year adjustable-rate mortgages inched down to 2.45 percent.