Housing

Mortgage Loan Rates Slip as Applications Fall

House for Sale
Source: Thinkstock
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its report on mortgage applications Wednesday morning, noting a week-over-week decrease of 3.9% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index for the week ending March 13. That followed a decrease of 1.3% for the week ending March 6. Mortgage loan rates decreased on all five types of loans last week, a full-reversal of the prior week’s increases in interest rates.

On an unadjusted basis, the composite index decreased by 4% week-over-week. The seasonally adjusted purchase index decreased 2% compared to the week ended March 6. The unadjusted purchase index fell by 1% for the week and is now 1% higher year-over-year.

The MBA’s refinance index decreased 5% week-over-week, and the percentage of all new applications that were seeking refinancing fell from 60% to 59%.

Last week’s drop in new applications was accompanied by a small drop in mortgage rates. The refinancing rate is at its lowest level since October 2014.

Adjustable rate mortgage loans accounted for 5.5% of all applications, down from 5.6% in the prior week.

The FHA share of all applications rose from 14.0% a week ago to 14.3%, and the VA share decreased from 10.8% to 10.3%.

The average mortgage loan rate for a conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgage slipped from 4.01% to 3.99%. The rate for a jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased from 4.02% to 3.94%. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped from 3.29% to 3.28%.

The contract interest rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage loan declined from 3.18% to 2.99%. Rates on a 30-year FHA-backed fixed rate loan fell from 3.80% to 3.74%.

ALSO READ: 4 States Account for Nearly a Third of Underwater Mortgages

Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor

Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.