Mortgage Applications on the Decline

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According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's latest Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey  for the week ending October 15, the Market Composite Index decreased 10.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.  On an unadjusted basis, the Index also decreased 10.5 percent compared with the previous week.  This week's results do not include an adjustment for the Columbus Day holiday. 

The Refinance Index decreased 11.2 percent from the previous week.  The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 6.7 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 6.6 percent compared with the previous week and was 29.4 percent lower than the same week one year ago.

The four week moving average for the seasonally adjusted Market Index is up 0.4 percent.  The four week moving average is down 1.1 percent for the seasonally adjusted Purchase Index, while this average is up 0.7 percent for the Refinance Index.

The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 82.4 percent of total applications from 83.1 percent the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 5.8 percent from 5.4 percent of total applications from the previous week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 4.34 percent from 4.21 percent, with points decreasing to 0.81 from 1.02 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio loans.  This is the first increase in the 30-year contract rate in six weeks.  The effective rate also increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 3.74 percent from 3.62 percent, with points decreasing to 1.00 from 1.06 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans.  This is the first increase in the 15-year contract rate in six weeks.  The effective rate also increased from last week.

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