Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey
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Mortgage applications decreased 17% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending Oct. 11, 2024.
The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 17% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 17% compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 26% from the previous week and was 111% higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 7% from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 7% compared with the previous week and was 7% higher than the same week one year ago.
Mortgage rates moved higher for the third consecutive week, with the 30-year fixed rate increasing to 6.52%, its highest level since August,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “The recent uptick in rates has put a damper on applications. Refinance applications fell 26% to their lowest level since August, with comparable drops in both conventional and government refinances. This pushed the refinance share of applications back below 50% for the first time in over a month. Furthermore, purchase applications also decreased but notably remain 7% higher than a year ago.”
Added Kan, “Demand is holding up to an extent for prospective first-time buyers. FHA purchase applications were little changed despite the increase in rates, as some first-time homebuyers remain in the market because of improving housing inventory conditions.”
The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 46.5% of total applications from 52.4% the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity remained unchanged at 5.9% of total applications.
The FHA share of total applications decreased to 15.9% from 16.2% the week prior. The VA share of total applications decreased to 16.2% from 16.9% the week prior. The USDA share of total applications remained unchanged at 0.4% from the week prior.
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 or less) increased to 6.52% from 6.36%, with points increasing to 0.65 from 0.62 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances (greater than $766,550) increased to 6.76% from 6.64%, with points increasing to 0.66 from 0.50 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages backed by the FHA increased to 6.42% from 6.22%,with points increasing to 0.95 from 0.85 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 5.94% from 5.71%, with points decreasing to 0.67 from 0.67 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs increased to 6.14% from 6.06%, with points decreasing to 0.53 from 0.61 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
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The survey covers U.S. closed-end residential mortgage applications originated through retail and consumer direct channels. The survey has been conducted weekly since 1990. Respondents include mortgage bankers, commercial banks, thrifts, and credit unions. Base period and value for all indexes is March 16, 1990=100.
