Mortgage Applications Stall on Higher Rates

By: Jann Swanson •

Higher mortgage rates hindered application activity during the week ended February 9. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said its Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 2.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier although it did gain 2.0 percent on an unadjusted basis.

The Refinance Index was 2,0 percent lower than the prior week and 12.0 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The refinancing share of mortgage applications made up 34.2 percent of the total, down from 35.4 percent the previous week.

The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 3.0 percent from one week earlier and was 4.0 percent higher before adjustment. The number of applications declined by 12 percent year-over-year.

“Application activity was weaker last week, as mortgage rates moved higher across the board. The 30year fixed mortgage rate was up to 6.87 percent – the highest rate since early December 2023,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “Purchase applications remained subdued as elevated rates continue to add to affordability challenges along with still-low existing housing inventory. Refinance applications declined and remained depressed, with rates still higher than a year ago.”

Additional Data from MBA’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey 

  • The overall size of mortgage loans increased only slightly from the previous week to an average of $382,000 but the purchase mortgage amount jumped to $441,300 from $434,800.
  • The FHA share of applications increased to 13.4 percent from 13.1 percent and the VA share dipped 1 percentage point to 13.1 percent. The USDA share of total applications was unchanged at 0.4 percent.
  • The conforming mortgage interest rate of 6.87 percent was 7 basis points higher than the prior week and points increased to 0.65 from 0.59.
  • The average rate for jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRM) was 7.00 percent, up from 6.88 percent, with points decreasing to 0.39 from 0.47.
  • The 30-year FRM with FHA guarantees had a rate of 6.68 percent with 0.89 point. The prior week's rates averaged 6.57 percent with 0.84 point.
  • The average for 15-year FRM jumped 12 basis points to 6.53 percent and points moved to 0.94 from 0.71.
  • The rate for 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) rose to 6.30 percent from 6.14 percent, with points increasing to 0.6 from 0.48.
  • The ARM share of activity increased to 7.0 percent of total applications from 6.4 percent the prior week.