Refinance Applications Make up 55% of Weekly Apps

The total mortgage loan application volume rose 2.8% for the week ending July 17, climbing for the third consecutive week, according to a weekly survey released by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Compared to the same week last year, the index increased 6.6%. Refinancing applications jumped 4% from the previous week, and took 55.5% of the total mortgage activity, compared to 54.9% a week earlier, according to the survey. The MBA, which also surveys mortgage rates, saw increases across the board. The rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increased to 5.31% from 5.05% a week earlier with points increasing to 1.18 from 1.12, and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages bumped to 4.8% at 1.03 points from 4.59% a week ago. But the amount of loan applications per household fell 2.1% for the week, according to a weekly survey from Mortgage Maxx, which adjusts raw application data to count multiple applications from within a single household as one participant in the application process. The Mortgage Application Index — or MAX — reported only a ripple of mortgage activity despite three weeks of lower rates. “With refinancing wallowing, and REO making up such a large proportion [of] housing sales, organic sales continue to remain dismal,” the Maxx reported. “With well publicized troubles in obtaining consumer financing still ‘stuck on stupid’ hope for a quick solution remains quixotic.” Write to Jon Prior.