Mortgage Loan Rates Rise for 4th Consecutive Week

Photo of Paul Ausick
By Paul Ausick Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

House for Sale
Thinkstock
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its report on mortgage applications Wednesday morning, noting a week-over-week decrease of 1.6% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index for the week ending May 22. That followed a decrease of 1.5% for the week ending May 15. Mortgage loan rates increased on all five loan types.

On an unadjusted basis, the composite index decreased by 2% week-over-week. The seasonally adjusted purchase index dropped 1% compared to the week ended May 15. The unadjusted purchase index was unchanged for the week, and remained 14% higher year-over-year.

The MBA’s refinance index decreased 4% week-over-week, and the percentage of all new applications that were seeking refinancing fell from 52% to 51%.

Refinancings rose to as much as 75% of all mortgage loans made when interest rates fell below about 3.6% on the 30-year fixed loans. Unless rates reach that level again, it is highly unlikely that refinancing will regain a significant portion of the mortgage loan market.

Adjustable rate mortgage loans accounted for 6.4% of all applications, unchanged from the prior week.

The average mortgage loan rate for a conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased from 4.04% to 4.07%. The rate for a jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased from 4.04% to 4.06%. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rose from 3.26% to 3.29%.

The contract interest rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage loan increased from 2.99% to 3.04%. Rates on a 30-year FHA-backed fixed rate loan rose from 3.80% to 3.83%.

ALSO READ: 10 Stocks to Own for the Next Decade

Photo of Paul Ausick
About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618