Mortgage applications

New-home loan activity rose 1% in August year over year, but applications fell 6% from July.

The contract rate on a 30-year mortgage fell 15 basis points to 6.49% in the week ended Sept. 5, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday.

A pickup in refinances was offset by the first pullback in purchases in four weeks in the run-up to Labor Day, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Nonbank lenders saw production income surge, returning to the black for the first time in three quarters, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Lower interest rates and homebuilder concessions brought borrowers to the table, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's latest report.

The contract rate on a 30-year mortgage declined 10 basis points to 6.67% in the week ended Aug. 8, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday.

The mortgage numbers are a welcome boost to a market that has struggled to overcome high costs and prolonged economic uncertainty.

The uninspiring mortgage numbers come a week after the Mortgage Bankers Association downgraded its yearly origination forecast over economic uncertainty.

Mortgage applications to buy a home declined last week to the lowest level since late May as borrowing costs remained elevated.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's index of home-purchase applications advanced 9.4% in the week ended July 4, according to data out Wednesday.