MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest Weekly Survey

… The Refinance Index decreased 1 percent from the previous
week and was 83 percent lower than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase
Index decreased 1 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 3 percent
compared with the previous week and was 23 percent lower than the same week one year ago.

“Mortgage rates moved higher over the course of last week as markets continued to re-assess the
prospects for the economy and the path of monetary policy, with expectations for short-term rates to
move and stay higher for longer,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA Senior Vice President and Chief Economist.
“With the 30-year fixed rate rising to the highest level since mid-June, application volumes for both
purchase and refinance loans dropped. Recent economic data will likely prevent any significant decline in
mortgage rates in the near term, but the strong job market depicted in the August data should support
housing demand. There is no sign of a rebound in purchase applications yet, but the robust job market
and an increase in housing inventories should lead to an eventual increase in purchase activity.”

…
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances
($647,200 or less) increased to 5.94 percent from 5.80 percent, with points increasing to 0.79 from 0.71
(including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans.
emphasis added