Mortgage rates

Mixed economic news kept mortgage rates just above 4% for the third consecutive week, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage applications increased 2.4% from one week earlier as there was little movement in interest rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Here's a look at the 12 markets where rising home prices, along with shifts in wages and interest rates, have combined to put the most downward pressure on consumers' purchasing power.

Concerns over rising home prices tempered a 2.2 percentage point increase in Fannie Mae's Home Price Sentiment Index.

Fannie Mae said it expects to make a $2.8 billion dividend payment to the U.S. Treasury in June after reporting a first-quarter profit driven by a relatively stable mortgage market and a continued decline in delinquencies.

Mortgage rates held steady in anticipation of the Federal Open Market Committee not increasing short-term rates at its meeting Wednesday, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage application volume decreased 0.1% from one week earlier as refinance activity resumed its decline, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

For the first time since the Federal Open Market Committee acted five weeks ago, there was an increase in mortgage rates.

Mortgage application volume increased 2.7% for the week of April 21 as more consumers applied for refinance loans.

Purchases of new homes unexpectedly increased in March to an eight-month high, indicating housing demand remained strong at the start of the spring buying season.