Global| Jan 28 2015U.S. Mortgage Loan Applications Slip; Interest Rates Notch Higher
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that their total Mortgage Market Volume Index edged down 3.2% last week (+34.9% y/y) following the near-doubling during the prior three weeks. Applications to refinance retreated 5.1% (+58.4% [...]
The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that their total Mortgage Market Volume Index edged down 3.2% last week (+34.9% y/y) following the near-doubling during the prior three weeks. Applications to refinance retreated 5.1% (+58.4% y/y) after a 136.1% rise during the prior three weeks. Home purchase applications remained stable (2.1% y/y) after a 25.8% three week increase.
The effective interest rate on a 15-year mortgage moved up to 3.22% following its sharp decline during the last four months from 3.63%. The effective rate on a 30-year fixed rate loan fell to 3.91% from 4.49% during that period. The rate on a Jumbo 30-year loan ticked up to 3.97%, but remained down from 4.36%. For adjustable 5-year mortgages, the effective interest rate backed up to 3.11% but remained down from the 2013 peak of 3.74%.
The average mortgage loan size fell back to $272,400 (+23.4% y/y). For home purchases, it slipped to $284,300 (+7.8% y/y) and for refinancings it fell to $267,600 (38.0% y/y).
Applications for fixed interest rate loans remained more than one-third higher y/y. Adjustable rate loan applications improved 12.1% 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.
| MBA Mortgage Applications (SA, 3/16/90=100) | 01/23/15 | 01/16/15 | 01/09/15 | Y/Y % | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market Index | 544.2 | 561.9 | 492.0 | 34.9 | 361.5 | 616.6 | 813.8 |
| Purchase | 191.6 | 191.7 | 192.9 | 2.1 | 172.1 | 197.5 | 187.8 |
| Refinancing | 2,605.4 | 2,746.1 | 2,2111.4 | 58.4 | 1,449.8 | 3,070.0 | 4,505.0 |
| 15-Year Mortgage Effective Interest Rate (%) | 3.22 | 3.17 | 3.24 | 3.74 (1/14) |
3.54 | 3.42 | 3.25 |
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
