Mortgage Loan Rates Slipped Lower Last 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 7.6% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index for the week ending May 29. That followed a decrease of 1.6% for the week ending May 22. Mortgage loan rates decreased on all five loan types.

On an unadjusted basis, the composite index decreased by 17% week over week. The seasonally adjusted purchase index dropped 3% compared to the week ended May 22. The unadjusted purchase index decreased 14% for the week, and remained 14% higher year over year. Last week’s data have been adjusted to account for the Memorial Day holiday.

The MBA’s refinance index decreased 12% week over week, and the percentage of all new applications that were seeking refinancing fell from 51% to 49%, its lowest level in 12 months.

According to Mortgage News Daily, mortgage rates jumped Tuesday as a result of the U.S. market’s relationship with European markets:

[E]conomic data and headlines concerning a potential Greek debt deal caused European rates to jump. (The more it looks like Greece will get some sort of ‘deal,’ the higher rates go in the stable countries, and it’s those countries that have the most direct effect on US rates).

Adjustable rate mortgage loans accounted for 6.1% of all applications, down from 6.4% the prior week.

The average mortgage loan rate for a conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased from 4.07% to 4.02%. The rate for a jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased from 4.06% to 4.01%. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 3.29% to 3.27%.

The contract interest rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage loan decreased from 3.04% to 2.97. Rates on a 30-year FHA-backed fixed rate loan dropped from 3.83% to 3.77%.

ALSO READ: 5 Key Analyst Stock Picks With 50% or More Upside

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