February 22, 2012 (Chris Moore)
Mortgage applications for both purchases and refinances declined last week despite little movement by mortgage rates which continued to hover near record lows according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 17, 2012.
The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume which includes purchase applications and refinance applications, decreased a seasonally adjusted 4.5 percent from the previous week.
On an unadjusted basis, the Index fell 3.6 percent from the previous week. The four week moving average for the seasonally adjusted Market Index is down 0.30 percent.
Purchase Applications:
The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 2.9 percent from the previous week. The four week moving average is down 3.21 percent for the adjusted Purchase Index.
The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 1.4 percent compared with the previous week and was 9.2 percent lower than the same week a year ago.
Refinance Applications:
The Refinance Index decreased 4.8 percent from the previous week. The four week moving average for the Index is up 0.33 percent.
The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 80.1 percent of total applications from 81.1 percent the previous week.
Mortgage Interest Rates:
|
Average Contract Mortgages Rates |
|||||
|
Type of |
Interest Rate (%) |
Points |
Effective Rate |
||
|
Current |
Previous |
Current |
Previous |
||
| 30-Year FRM Conforming ($417,500 or less) |
4.09 |
4.08 |
0.53 |
0.51 |
Increased |
| 30-Year FRM Non-Conforming ($417,501 or more) |
4.32 |
4.30 |
0.42 |
0.44 |
Increased |
| 15-Year FRM |
3.38 |
3.33* |
0.37 |
0.40 |
Increased |
| FHA 30-Year |
3.87* |
3.87* |
0.41 |
0.78 |
Decreased |
| 5/1 ARM |
2.94 |
2.93 |
0.44 |
0.42 |
Increased |
*Survey record low
The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity decreased to 5.3 percent of total applications from 5.4 percent the previous week.
Tags: MBA, home purchase applications, mortgage rates, fixed rate mortgage, adjustable rate mortgage, refinance, interest rate
Sources:
Mortgage Bankers Association
