The VA

Mortgage applications decreased 5% from one week earlier as, absent any rate incentive, activity slowed because of the holiday season, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Even with an increase in both new and existing home construction activity during November, the slowdown over the previous 11 months will constrain inventory going into 2020, according to BuildFax.

Issuance of Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities slipped after several months of gains, but high volume still pushed the year-to-date total for 2019 ahead of 2018’s full-year figure.

Mortgage application activity increased 3.8% from one week earlier, with refinance volume for Federal Housing Administration-insured loans taking the spotlight, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The housing market is likely changing to predominantly repeat purchasers, even as growth in the first-timer buyer segment continued in the third quarter, a study from Genworth found.

The share of Department of Veterans Affairs-guaranteed loans in Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities issuance rose to 42% in the most recent fiscal year from almost 39%, and could continue to rise.

The availability of mortgage credit jumped in November from the previous month as jumbo activity and refinancing in the government market increased, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Millennials took advantage of the low mortgage rate landscape in October, boosting their refinance share to a survey-record high, according to Ellie Mae.

Purchase mortgage application activity is at its highest level since this summer on a seasonally adjusted basis, and should remain strong in December, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage application activity rose 1.5% compared with one week earlier as interest rates remained below 4%, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.