Ahead of today’s highly anticipated rate cut by the Federal Reserve, applications for home purchases saw a significant increase last week, their fourth straight week of increases.
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) reported that home purchase applications increased 14.2% from the previous week’s 1.4% increase, according to its latest Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending September 13, 2024. Last week’s results included an adjustment for the Labor Day holiday.
Let’s take a look at this week’s report on mortgage applications from MBA:
- The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 14.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.
- On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 26% compared with the previous week.
- The Refinance Index increased 24% from the previous week and was 127% higher than the same week one year ago.
- The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 5% from one week earlier.
- The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 15% compared with the previous week and was 0.4% lower than the same week one year ago.
- The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 51.2% of total applications from 46.7% the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 5.9% of total applications.
- The FHA share of total applications increased to 15.2% from 14.7% the week prior.
- The VA share of total applications increased to 16.8% from 16.4% 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) decreased to 6.15% from 6.29%, with points increasing to 0.56 from 0.55 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
- The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances (greater than $766,550) decreased to 6.41% from 6.56%, with points increasing to 0.55 from 0.33 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
- The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages backed by the FHA decreased to 6.12% from 6.24%, with points increasing to 0.81 from 0.76 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
- The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 5.42% from 5.71%, with points decreasing to 0.70 from 0.73 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
- The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs decreased to 5.66% from 5.85%, with points increasing to 0.49 from 0.29 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
How MBA breaks down the numbers:
“Application activity was up significantly last week, as market expectations of a rate cut from the Fed pulled mortgage rates lower,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist. “The 30-year fixed mortgage rate, at 6.15%, is now at its lowest since September 2022 and is more than a full percentage point lower than a year ago,”“Refinance applications were up 24 percent–more than double last year’s pace, with both conventional and government activity jumping to the fastest pace of refinancing since 2022.”
Added Kan, “There was also an increase in purchase applications, and it is notable that conventional purchase applications increased to a pace ahead of last year, which also drove overall purchase applications very close to year-ago levels. Homebuyers are seeing improving affordability conditions, sparked by lower rates and slower home-price growth.”
