The Mortgage Bankers Association reported today that its seasonally adjusted Purchase Index for the week ending May 14, 2010 decreased 27.1 percent from one week earlier, reaching its lowest point since May, 1997.
"Purchase applications plummeted 27 percent last week and have declined almost 20 percent over the past month, despite relatively low interest rates. The data continue to suggest that the tax credit pulled sales into April at the expense of the remainder of the spring buying season. In fact, this drop occurred even as rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages continued to fall, and at 4.83 percent are at their lowest level since November 2009," said Michael Fratantoni, MBA's Vice President of Research and Economics.
"However, refinance borrowers did react to these lower rates, with refi applications up almost 15 percent, hitting their highest level in nine weeks," Mr. Fratantoni said.
The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 68.1 percent of total applications from 57.7 percent the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity remained constant at 6.3 percent of total applications from the previous week.
The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 4.19 percent from 4.32 percent, with points increasing to 1.36 from 0.81 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. This is the lowest 15-year contract interest rate ever recorded in the survey.
"However, due to the increase in points, the effective rate was essentially unchanged from last week," the report said.
"Purchase applications plummeted 27 percent last week and have declined almost 20 percent over the past month, despite relatively low interest rates. The data continue to suggest that the tax credit pulled sales into April at the expense of the remainder of the spring buying season. In fact, this drop occurred even as rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages continued to fall, and at 4.83 percent are at their lowest level since November 2009," said Michael Fratantoni, MBA's Vice President of Research and Economics.
"However, refinance borrowers did react to these lower rates, with refi applications up almost 15 percent, hitting their highest level in nine weeks," Mr. Fratantoni said.
The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 68.1 percent of total applications from 57.7 percent the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity remained constant at 6.3 percent of total applications from the previous week.
The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 4.19 percent from 4.32 percent, with points increasing to 1.36 from 0.81 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. This is the lowest 15-year contract interest rate ever recorded in the survey.
"However, due to the increase in points, the effective rate was essentially unchanged from last week," the report said.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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