Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Economy

Mortgage refinance demand jumps to a 2-year high, as interest rates drop

Mortgage rates dropped to the lowest level since March last week, sparking swift demand in refinancing. Homebuyers, however, seemed unimpressed.

Applications to refinance a home loan jumped 15% last week, compared with the previous week, to the highest level since August 2022, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. Demand was 37% higher than the same week one year ago when mortgage rates were exactly the same.

While the increase last week was large, it is coming off a very small base. Refinance demand is still more than 70% lower than it was in early 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 or less) decreased to 6.87% from 7.00%, with points dropping to 0.57 from 0.60 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment.

“Mortgage rates declined last week, as recent signs of cooling inflation and the increased likelihood of Fed rate cuts later this year pulled them lower,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, in a release.

Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home fell 3% for the week and were 14% lower than the same week one year ago. Buyers today are facing a lean and pricey market, and now, with the expectation that rates could drop even more, they may be waiting on the sidelines for a better opportunity. More supply is slowly coming onto the market and sellers are starting to reduce prices, especially for homes that have been sitting on the market for a while.

Mortgage rates have not changed much to start this week, despite a stronger-than-expected report on retail sales.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News And Articles.






    Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

    You May Also Like

    Stock

    In this edition of StockCharts TV‘s The Final Bar, Dave shows how breadth conditions have evolved so far in August, highlights the renewed strength in the...

    Stock

    Major equity indexes rose on Friday after a selloff that hit the Technology sector especially hard. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is...

    Latest News

    President Joe Biden travels to Triangle, Virginia, Monday to mark Earth Day, where he’ll unveil $7 billion in grant funding for solar power under...

    Latest News

    Britain’s Prince and Princess of Wales have released a new photo of Prince Louis to mark his sixth birthday on Tuesday, the first image...

    Disclaimer: Dealwithbiz.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.


    Copyright © 2024 Dealwithbiz.com