Mortgage Applications Increased 5.4 Percent From One Week Earlier

Mortgage applications increased 5.4 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 6, 2024. Last week’s results included an adjustment for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 5.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 50 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 27 percent from the previous week and was 42 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 4 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 30 percent compared with the previous week and was 4 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

“Mortgage rates decreased again for the third consecutive week, with the 30-year fixed rate dipping to 6.67 percent,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “Applications increased 5 percent, driven by a 27-percent surge in refinance activity, as borrowers with higher rates acted on the chance to lower their payments. VA refinance applications were up 85 percent from the previous week, matching some of the larger swings in VA activity reported in recent months.”

Added Kan, “Purchase applications remained relatively strong and have shown annual gains in all but one week over the past three months. In addition to lower rates, purchase activity continues to be supported by sustained housing demand and inventory that continues to grow gradually in many markets.”  

The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 46.8 percent of total applications from 38.7 percent the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity decreased to 5.3 percent of total applications.

The FHA share of total applications increased to 16.5 percent from 16.0 percent the week prior. The VA share of total applications increased to 16.3 percent from 13.6 percent the week prior. The USDA share of total applications remained unchanged at 0.4 percent from the week prior.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 or less) decreased to 6.67 percent from 6.69 percent, with points decreasing to 0.66 from 0.67 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances (greater than $766,550) decreased to 6.79 percent from 6.85 percent, with points increasing to 0.50 from 0.39 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.  

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages backed by the FHA decreased to 6.47 percent from 6.49 percent, with points decreasing to 0.91 from 1.00 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages remained unchanged at 6.12 percent, with points increasing to 0.66 from 0.52 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs decreased to 5.81 percent from 6.24 percent, with points decreasing to 0.40 from 0.58 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.