Mortgage applications decreased 6.3% for the week ending Oct. 15, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey.
Key takeaways:
– The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 6.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis from the previous week
– Unadjusted, the index decreased 6% compared with the previous week
– The Refinance Index decreased 7% from the previous week—22% lower YoY
– The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 5% from the previous week
– The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 5% compared with the previous week
The takeaway:
Refi applications continue to dip as mortgage rates increase, with the share down 63.3% of total applications.
“Refinance applications declined for the fourth week as rates increased, bringing the refinance index to its lowest level since July 2021. The 30-year fixed rate has increased 20 basis points over the past month and reached 3.23% last week—the highest since April 2021. The 15-year fixed rate increased to 2.54%, which is the highest since July,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s associate vice president of Economic and Industry Forecasting, in a statement. “Purchase activity declined and was 12% lower than a year ago, within the annual comparison range that it has been over the past six weeks. Insufficient housing supply and elevated home-price growth continue to limit options for would-be buyers.”
