US Home Loan Applications Rise amid Declining Interest Rates

As interest rates continue to decline, more and more homeowners find it the best time to apply for mortgage. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of mortgage applications rose 5.8% in the week ending November 5 compared to the index in the preceding week. It was the third time the activity rose in eight weeks. Such index includes loans for home purchase and mortgage refinance.

The increase could be attributed to several improvements in the national economy’s growth prospects, including higher employment figures in October and lower interest rates, which got closer to record lows. Average borrowing costs in the first week of November for 30-year fixed-rate home loans was at 4.28%, unchanged from the preceding week. It was below the 4.9% average level in the same period last year. The lowest level of the borrowing rate was recorded in the week ending October 8, when it fell to 4.21%.

The industry group’s index of refinancing applications rose 6% in the same week, while the purchase index climbed 5.5%. The purchase index is seen by many observers as a tentative indicator of potential home sales. Some analysts assert that demand for home loans has even been constrained although many mortgage borrowers have the incentive to refinance. This is because lenders have extremely tightened their standards when approving refinance applications. Thus, many homeowners were logically prevented to take advantage of decreasing interest rates.

Many homeowners also fell to underwater mortgages. Their actual loans currently are valued more than the actual valuations of their homes. This is logically preventing them from even considering taking a refinance.

Other analysts emphasize that there are indications that consumers are still in a mode to de-leverage. That means most of them prefer to repay their debt obligations first than to purchase a new home. Thus, home purchase borrowing demand remains muted. Industry experts assert that without such factors, demand for home loan applications and mortgage refinance facilities could have increased more significantly than it actually did.

MBA added that fixed rates for 15-year home loans averaged at 3.64% in the same week, almost unchanged from the preceding week. It reached 3.62%, a record low, four weeks before. Meanwhile, average rate for single-year adjustable rate mortgage fell to 7.08% in the week from 7.18% in the last week of October.

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