| Title: | Mortgage Applications Increase as Rates Hit New Low in MBA Weekly Survey |
| Source: | MBA |
| Date: | 9/1/2010 |
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 1, 2010) - The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August
27, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 2.7 percent on a seasonally
adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 2.3 percent compared with the previous
week.
The Refinance Index increased 2.8 percent from the previous week and is at its highest level since May 1, 2009. The seasonally
adjusted Purchase Index increased 1.8 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 0.4 percent compared
with the previous week and was 37.0 percent lower than the same week one year ago.
"Refinancing activity picked up again last week, reaching new 15-month highs, as borrowers took advantage of even lower mortgage
rates. The drop in mortgage rates was in line with Treasury rates as the latest data continue to show weak economic growth
and an exceptionally weak housing market," said Michael Fratantoni, MBA's Vice President of Research and Economics. "The
sharp decline in MBA's Purchase Application index in May had provided a clear leading indicator of the drops in new and existing
home sales that were reported for June and July. Despite the slight increase in purchase activity in the past week, the continued
low level of purchase applications indicates we are unlikely to see an increase in new home sales reported for August or existing
home sales reported for September."
The four week moving average for the seasonally adjusted Market Index is up 5.2 percent. The four week moving average is
down 0.2 percent for the seasonally adjusted Purchase Index, while this average is up 6.3 percent for the Refinance Index.
The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 82.9 percent of total applications from 82.4 percent the previous week
and is the highest refinance share observed since January 2009. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased
to 6.1 percent from 5.8 percent of total applications from the previous week.
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 4.43 percent from 4.55 percent, with points
increasing to 1.34 from 0.89 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio loans. The contract
rate is a new low for this survey. The effective rate also decreased from last week.
The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 3.88 percent from 3.91 percent, with points
decreasing to 1.45 from 1.64 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The contract rate is a new low for
this survey. The effective rate also decreased from last week.
The average contract interest rate for one-year ARMs increased to 6.95 percent from 6.84 percent, with points increasing to
0.23 from 0.22 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans.
If you would like to purchase a subscription of MBA's Weekly Applications Survey, please contact MBA Research at (202) 557-2830
or mbaresearch@mortgagebankers.org or click here.
The survey covers over 50 percent of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications, and has been conducted weekly since
1990. Respondents include mortgage bankers, commercial banks and thrifts. Base period and value for all indexes is March
16, 1990=100.
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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 2,200 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.