Mortgage Loan Rates Tick Down, Applications Slip
ThinkstockThe Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications Wednesday morning, noting a decrease of 1.2% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index. That followed a drop of 2.1% for the previous week. Mortgage loan rates fell…
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The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its weekly report on mortgage applications Wednesday morning, noting a decrease of 1.2% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index. That followed a drop of 2.1% for the previous week. Mortgage loan rates fell slightly on all types of loans.
The seasonally adjusted purchase index decreased by 1% from the prior week’s report. On an unadjusted basis, the composite index also decreased by 1% week-over-week. The unadjusted purchase index was unchanged for the week, but is 15% lower year-over-year.
Adjustable rate mortgage loans account for 8% of all applications, unchanged from a week ago.
The MBA’s refinance index decreased by 1%, after declining 3% in the previous week. The share of refinancings fell for the sixth consecutive week to 56.5% of all applications.
The average mortgage loan rate for a conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased from 4.52% to 4.50%. The rate for a jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgage declined from 4.41% to 4.39%. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased from 3.53% to 3.52%.
The contract interest rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage loan fell from 3.18% to 3.09%.
The seasonally adjusted purchase index remains close to its lowest point since 1995. That is a very weak showing. Jumbo loan rates also remain lower than conforming loan rates as lenders seek more business from more creditworthy borrowers.
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Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.
He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.