Global| May 02 2012U.S. Mortgage Applications Decline in April
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its index of total mortgage applications nudged up 0.1% w/w to 698.2 (52.2% y/y). That left the average level in April down 0.9% from March and down 10.9% from the February high. [...]
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its index of total mortgage applications nudged up 0.1% w/w to 698.2 (52.2% y/y). That left the average level in April down 0.9% from March and down 10.9% from the February high. Applications to refinance led the decline with a 0.7% w/w dip (+77.2% y/y) that followed a 5.6% drop during the prior week. It pulled the April average 1.2% below March and 15.8% below February. Home purchase applications offset the w/w decline with a 2.9% rise (4.4% y/y). During April they've risen 0.5% from March and 10.9% from the February average. Fixed interest rate loan applications were unchanged w/w and remained down sharply from the January peak while variable rate loan applications moved sideways.
The effective rate on fixed-interest, conventional 15-year mortgages again was roughly unchanged at its low of 3.41% but was down from its 4.50% high in February of last year. The effective rate on a 30-year fixed rate loan also was roughly stable w/w at 4.18%. On a 30-year Jumbo loan the effective rate nudged up to 4.43%. Though it's narrowed slightly of late, the spread between 15- and 30-year loan rates continued wide by historical standards. The effective interest rate on an adjustable 5-year mortgage also ticked up to 3.00% and still was down from its 3.93% high during February of last year.
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 covers roughly 50% of all U.S. residential mortgage applications processed each week by mortgage banks, commercial banks and thrifts. The figures for weekly mortgage applications are available in Haver's SURVEYW database.
| MBA Mortgage Applications (SA, 3/16/90=100) | 04/27/12 | 04/20/12 | 04/13/12 | Y/Y % | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market Index | 698.2 | 697.7 | 725.4 | 52.2 | 572.3 | 659.3 | 736.4 |
| Purchase | 190.7 | 185.4 | 180.5 | 4.4 | 182.6 | 199.8 | 263.5 |
| Refinancing | 3,687.7 | 3,715.2 | 3,936.3 | 77.2 | 2,858.4 | 3,348.1 | 3,509.2 |
| 15-Year Mortgage Effective Interest Rate (%) | 3.41 | 3.42 | 3.43 | 4.33 (4/11) |
3.97 | 4.39 | 4.85 |
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.
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