Tag Archives: Refinances

After rising on the back of a double-digit jump in refinances, mortgage applications experienced another dive last week, according to figures from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). For the week ending September 19, the group reported a seasonally adjusted 4.1 percent decline in overall loan application volumes, a step backward after the previous week's 7.9 percent recovery.

Despite a slight easing in credit standards, the percentage of loan applications closed in July slipped to a three-month low, Ellie Mae reported Wednesday in its monthly Origination Insight Report. Tracking loan applications initiated 90 days prior, the company calculated an overall closing rate of 57.7 percent last month, down from 60.7 percent in June and 57.8 percent in May.

While the time it took to close a loan in June increased just slightly from the previous month, the closing rate reached a record high of 61 percent, according to Ellie Mae's Origination Insight Report. Among loans originated 90 days before the report, 60.7 percent closed in June, the report states. This is up from 57.8 percent in May. "Clearly, lenders are working harder than ever to convert and close loans," said Jonathan Corr, president and COO of Ellie Mae.

Overall refinance volume rose slightly in April, but remained at levels more comparable to those seen in 2008, according to the latest from FHFA. Roughly 20,000 refinances were completed through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) in April, bringing total HARP refinances to approximately 3.2 million since the program's inception.