Applications Fall

The Market Composite Index, an overall measure of mortgage applications, fell to 1055.8 on a seasonally adjusted basis during the week ended April 18 from 1134.6 the week before, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association of America's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey.On an unadjusted basis, applications were down 6.7% on the week but up 105.9% from the level recorded a year earlier. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Purchase Index fell from 376.1 to 359.9, and the Refinance Index fell from 5546.7 to 5103.9. Refinancings represented 68.4% of total applications, down from the previous week's 69.4%, while adjustable-rate mortgages accounted for 14.8%. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell from 5.70% to 5.67%, and points (including the origination fee) increased from 1.43 to 1.44 for loans with 80% loan-to-value ratios, the MBA reported. The MBA can be found online at http://www.mbaa.org.