Mortgage applications

Affordability improved for a fourth straight month, but questions remain about whether recent trends will bring a significant number of buyers into the housing market.

Purchase activity trudged along during what lenders describe as a traditional end-of-summer slump.

While the lock-in effect on existing supply has helped drive consumer interest in new construction, first-time buyers have been taking a greater share of that inventory.

While still historically low, some of the changes in the first quarter appeared "troubling" and warranted extra scrutiny, according to Aces Quality Management.

Refinance activity is up 127% year-over-year as interest rates dipped closer to 6%.

Steady purchase demand still led to a positive August according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Purchases managed a small rise, but refinance activity held steady, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Purchase applications last week fell to their lowest level since February, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

The FHA share of new-home loan applications also increased to a new record high, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The refinance market saw a 35% jump in activity, as borrowers continued responding to downward trending rates, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Falling rates provided a boost for the refinance market, with activity hitting a two-year peak, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Both purchase and refinance applications dropped, with borrowers potentially holding out for lower mortgage rates later this year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

While the number of refinances saw a small uptick last week, purchase lending languished as housing costs keep buyers sidelined, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The monthly pace of growth in applications for new single-family constructions fell for the first time in 2024, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Refinance transactions shot up over 15% to their highest volume in almost two years, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Declining refinance activity offset the growth in government-backed purchases, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Despite a slow return of housing inventory, purchase application numbers dipped in a week where interest rates finished higher, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

May's falling interest rates as well as ongoing wage growth helped improve home affordability across borrowing segments and racial groups, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Borrowers in the government-purchase market returned to the table in greater numbers, as rates declined, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.