Global| Dec 28 2005Mortgage Applications At Three Year Low
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The total number of mortgage applications fell a hard 6.8% last week to the lowest level since mid-2002 and pulled the average level during December down 6.0% from November. Purchase applications were notably weak, again. The 4.5% w/w [...]
The total number of mortgage applications fell a hard 6.8% last week to the lowest level since mid-2002 and pulled the average level during December down 6.0% from November.
Purchase applications were notably weak, again. The 4.5% w/w drop was the third consecutive weekly hard decline and was to the lowest level since mid-February. The December average of purchase applications was off 1.7% from November.
During the last ten years there has been a 50% correlation between the y/y change in purchase applications and the change in new plus existing single family home sales
Applications to refinance were even weaker. An 11.2% w/w plunge pulled the December average 13.0% below November.
The effective interest rate on a conventional 30-year mortgage was steady at 6.44% versus 6.45% the prior week. Rates averaged 6.52% in November and averaged 5.81% in June. The effective rate on a 15-year mortgage also was steady at 6.06%. The interest rates on 15 and 30 year mortgages are closely correlated (>90%) with the rate on 10 year Treasury securities.
The Mortgage Bankers Association surveys between 20 to 35 of the top lenders in the U.S. housing industry to derive its refinance, purchase and market indexes. The weekly survey accounts for more than 40% of all applications processed each week by mortgage lenders. Visit the Mortgage Bankers Association site here.
| MBA Mortgage Applications (3/16/90=100) | 12/23/05 | 12/16/05 | Y/Y | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market Index | 554.1 | 594.6 | -18.2% | 735.1 | 1,067.9 | 799.7 |
| Purchase | 432.9 | 453.1 | -10.5% | 454.5 | 395.1 | 354.7 |
| Refinancing | 1,259.1 | 1,418.1 | -30.2% | 2,366.8 | 4,981.8 | 3,388.0 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
More Economy in Brief
