Global| Apr 02 2014U.S. Mortgage Loan Applications Near the Low but Interest Rates Remain Stable
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that their total mortgage market index fell 1.2% last week (-54.9% y/y) following an unrevised 3.5% drop during the prior week. It was the third decline in the last four weeks and applications [...]
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that their total mortgage market index fell 1.2% last week (-54.9% y/y) following an unrevised 3.5% drop during the prior week. It was the third decline in the last four weeks and applications were roughly two-thirds below the peak in September 2012. Applications to refinance a loan declined 2.9% (-66.9% y/y). Home purchase applications improved 0.9% (-17.3% y/y), the fourth rise in the last five weeks.
The effective interest rate on a 15-year mortgage was stable at 3.68% but still was higher versus the 2.89% low early in May of 2013. The effective rate on a 30-year fixed rate loan was 4.65% last week, up from 3.68% last May. The rate on a Jumbo 30-year loan of 4.54% compared to a low of 3.85%. For adjustable 5-year mortgages, the effective interest rate at 3.39% remained up from its low of 2.59% at the beginning of May, 2013.
The average mortgage loan size fell back to $235,300. The average loan size for home purchases declined to $273,100 last week and for refinancings it fell to $201,400.
Applications for fixed interest rate loans declined 56.6% y/y while adjustable rate loan applications were off 20.5% y/y.
The survey covers over 75 percent of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications, and has been conducted weekly since 1990. Respondents include mortgage bankers, commercial banks and thrifts. The base period and value for all indexes is March 16, 1990=100. The figures for weekly mortgage applications and interest rates are available in Haver's SURVEYW database.
U.S. Budget Deficits Shrink, but Long-Run Issues Remain from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas can be found here.
| MBA Mortgage Applications (SA, 3/16/90=100) | 03/28/14 | 03/21/14 | 03/14/14 | Y/Y% | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market Index | 356.7 | 361.2 | 374.2 | -54.9 | 616.6 | 813.8 | 572.3 |
| Purchase | 175.6 | 174.0 | 169.2 | -17.3 | 197.5 | 187.8 | 182.6 |
| Refinancing | 1,391.3 | 1,432.2 | 1,552.2 | -66.8 | 3,070.0 | 4,505.0 | 2,858.4 |
| 15-Year Mortgage Effective Interest Rate (%) | 3.68 | 3.68 | 3.58 | 3.10 (3/13) |
3.42 | 3.25 | 3.97 |
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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