Mortgage Loan Rates Tick Lower, Applications Increase

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By Paul Ausick Updated Published
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Mortgage Loan Rates Tick Lower, Applications Increase

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The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its report on mortgage applications Wednesday morning, noting a week-over-week increase of 4.2% in the group’s seasonally adjusted composite index for the week ending September 9. The results include an adjustment for the Labor Day holiday. Mortgage loan rates fell on three of five types of loans this past week.

On an unadjusted basis, the composite index decreased by 17% week over week. The seasonally adjusted purchase index increased by 9% compared with the week ended September 2. The unadjusted purchase index decreased by 15% for the week and is now 8% higher year over year.

The MBA’s refinance index increased by 2% week over week, and the percentage of all new applications that were seeking refinancing dropped from 64% to 62.9%.

Adjustable rate mortgage loans accounted for 4.6% of all applications, up from 4.3% in the previous week.

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Mortgage News Daily noted Tuesday that since the Brexit vote two months ago:

[C]onventional 30yr fixed rates on top tier scenarios have been as low as 3.25%.  The most prevalent rate was 3.375%.  While that’s still available today for a few of the most aggressive lenders, you’re more likely to see 3.5%-3.625%.  Bottom line, the past few business days have solidified a shift higher of roughly an eighth of a percentage point.

According to the MBA, last week’s average mortgage loan rate for a conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased from 3.68% to 3.67%. The rate for a jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 3.66% to 3.64%. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage increased from 2.96% to 2.97%.

The contract interest rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage loan was unchanged at 2.87%. Rates on a 30-year FHA-backed fixed-rate loan dropped from 3.52% to 3.50%.

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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.

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