Mortgage Rates Rise to Highest Level Since January at Just Under 7%

WASHINGTON— Mortgage applications decreased 1.2% from one week earlier as mortgage interest rates once again flirted with the 7% threshold, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ended May 23. The application decline was fueled by a decline in refinance applications, while purchase applications were higher, the MBA reported today (May 28).

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 2% compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 7% from the previous week and was 37% higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 3% from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 2% compared with the previous week and was 18% higher than the same week one year ago.

“Mortgage rates reached its highest level since January, following higher Treasury yields. Additional market volatility has added to the increase, keeping the mortgage-Treasury spread wider than it was earlier this year. The 30-year fixed rate increased to 6.98%, its third consecutive weekly increase,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “As a result of these higher rates, application activity decreased, driven by a 7% decline in refinance applications. Conventional refinances were down 6%, and VA refinances dropped 16%. Purchase applications were up over the week and continue to run ahead of last year's pace as increased housing inventory in many markets has been supporting some transaction volume, despite the economic uncertainty.”

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($806,500 or less) increased to 6.98% from 6.92%, with points decreasing to 0.67 from 0.69 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances (greater than $806,500) decreased to 6.93% from 6.94%, with points decreasing to 0.69 from 0.72 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages backed by the FHA increased to 6.66% from 6.60%, with points decreasing to 0.95 from 0.96 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 6.23% from 6.21%, with points decreasing to 0.67 from 0.72 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs increased to 6.22% from 6.16%, with points increasing to 0.46 from 0.36 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 34.6% of total applications from 36.6% the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 7.5% of total applications.

The FHA share of total applications remained unchanged at 17.9% from the week prior. The VA share of total applications decreased to 12.3% from 12.6% the week prior. The USDA share of total applications remained unchanged at 0.5% from the week prior.