Based on data from MBA’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey, the government-insured share jumped from 25.7 percent a month earlier and 27.0 percent in June 2008. Since the MBA survey’s inception in January 1990, the lowest recorded share was 5.8 percent in August 2005.

The government-insured share of purchase applications in June was 38.6 percent, up from 27.8 percent one year ago. The government-insured share of purchase applications has averaged 36.6 percent to date in 2009, compared to an average of 21.8 percent during the same period in 2008. The low point was in August 2005 when it was 6.8 percent.

“A primary reason government-insured loans have retained a high share of the purchase market is that these loans typically require lower down payments than conventional loans,” said Orawin Velz, MBA’s Associate Vice President of Economic Forecasting. “In addition, lending standards tend to be tighter for conventional loans, especially for loans that require private mortgage insurance.”

“While the government-insured share of purchase applications has remained elevated, the government-insured share of refinance applications has been volatile. The share hit a record high of 38.4 percent in October 2008. As mortgage rates fell sharply between mid-November through early May, refinance activity surged for conventional loans. This surge in conventional refinance applications dominated the market, causing the share of FHA refinance applications to fall below 20 percent for most of this year. Recent increases in mortgage rates have caused conventional refinance activity to drop much more sharply than government-insured refinance activity due to a combination of credit and LTV requirements. As a result, the government-insured share of refinance applications climbed to 33.6 percent in June,” Velz said. 

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The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is the national association representing the real estate finance industry, an industry that employs more than 280,000 people in virtually every community in the country. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the association works to ensure the continued strength of the nation's residential and commercial real estate markets; to expand homeownership and extend access to affordable housing to all Americans. MBA promotes fair and ethical lending practices and fosters professional excellence among real estate finance employees through a wide range of educational programs and a variety of publications. Its membership of over 2,400 companies includes all elements of real estate finance: mortgage companies, mortgage brokers, commercial banks, thrifts, Wall Street conduits, life insurance companies and others in the mortgage lending field. For additional information, visit MBA's Web site:  www.mortgagebankers.org.