According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates were mostly flat last week, with rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans with conforming loan balances and those backed by the Federal Housing Administration seeing no change week-over-week. Rates for jumbo loans saw a slight increase, while 15-year fixed-rate loans saw rates fall to their lowest level since 2016. Joel Kan, MBA’s associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting, says demand for mortgages is up. “Mortgage applications dipped slightly last week after two weeks of healthy increases, but even with a slight decline, the total pace of applications remains at an elevated level,” Kan said. “The purchase market has started 2020 on a strong note, running 8 percent higher than the same week a year ago.” Naturally, mortgage rates hovering just above historic lows have something to do with the increased demand. Fortunately, Kan sees favorable rates continuing. “Our expectation is that rates will stay along this same narrow range,” he said. The MBA’s weekly survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications.
