Mortgage loan application volume surprised no one with another week of declines, accompanied by the 10th consecutive week of rising interest rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey. Interest rates finally topped the dreaded 7% mark, reaching 7.16%. This is their highest point since 2001. The adjusted Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, dropped by 1.7%. Application activity is at its slowest pace since 1997. The adjusted purchase index fell 2%, while the unadjusted purchase index decreased by 3% and was 42% lower YOY. Purchase applications are now at their slowest pace since 2015, 40% slower than a year ago. “Despite higher rates and lower overall application activity, there was a slight increase in…
Home price appreciation continued to cool in August though growth remained elevated from a year earlier, according to new data. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price NSA Index saw home prices decelerate, posting a 13% annual gain in August, down from 15.6% in the previous month. This is the largest monthly deceleration in the history of the index, pushing July’s record to second place. Craig J. Lazzara, Managing Director at S&P DJI, called current trends a “forceful deceleration” of home prices. “These data show clearly that the growth rate of housing prices peaked in the spring of 2022 and has been declining ever since,” he said. “As the Federal Reserve moves interest rates higher, mortgage financing becomes more expensive…
Interest rates have dampened demand for mortgages, but some areas remain prime opportunities for lenders, according to a new study from TransUnion. The study, “Where Will Growth In Mortgage Originations Come From?,” analyzed the credit-active U.S. population between Q2 2017 and Q1 2022. It flagged consumers with a variety of traits, such as VA eligibility and income status, who withdrew their applications or may have been turned down for a mortgage. The results showed mortgage-qualified consumer segments that have “purchase origination potential.” Of the approximately 121 million low- and moderate-income (LMI) consumers studied, 95% were credit eligible for a mortgage. Buyers should have at least a 620 credit score when applying for a conventional loan. 86% of VA-eligible consumers were…
Prepayment activity dropped to a nearly 22-year low in September as interest rates rose to nearly 7%. According to Black Knight’s September 2022 First Look. prepayment activity slid by 14.9% to a single-month mortality rate of 0.57% in September, besting January 2019’s record of 0.59%. It’s the lowest level since November 2000. Inflation is a factor in low prepayment activity, says Jacob Channel, LendingTree’s senior economic analyst. “Since the start of the year, inflation has increased significantly and as a result, many households likely have less cash that they can allocate toward non-necessities like putting extra money toward their mortgage payment,” he told MarketWatch. Black Knight also reported that the national delinquency rate fell 0.2% from August to 2.78%. This…
Mortgage rates inched up last week, slowing to a crawl as they get closer to a 7% average, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.94%, up from 6.92%. This is a slowdown for rates, which the week prior jumped from 6.66% to 6.92%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.09%. “Mortgage rates slowed their upward trajectory this week,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continues to remain just shy of seven percent and is adversely impacting the housing market in the form of declining demand. Additionally, homebuilder confidence has dropped to half what it was just six months ago and construction,…
Existing-home sales dropped for the eighth straight month in September, down 1.5% from August and 23.8% YOY, according to the most recent data from the National Association of Realtors. Sales fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.71 million and declined in three of the four major regions. The West saw no change. “Despite weaker sales, multiple offers are still occurring with more than a quarter of homes selling above list price due to limited inventory,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “The current lack of supply underscores the vast contrast with the previous major market downturn from 2008 to 2010, when inventory levels were four times higher than they are today.” Inventory of unsold homes fell 2.3% from…
Mortgage loan application volume has now seen four months of decline and fallen to its lowest level since 1997, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey. Interest rates rose to 6.94%, their highest point since 2002. The adjusted Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, dropped by 4.5%. The adjusted purchase index fell 4%, while the unadjusted purchase index decreased 3% and was 38% lower YOY. The refinance index dropped by 7% and was 86% lower than at the same time last year. Refis made up 28.3% of total applications. “The speed and level to which rates have climbed this year have greatly reduced refinance activity and exacerbated existing affordability challenges in the purchase market. Residential…
New home mortgage applications dropped sharply in September as buyers backed away from decades-high interest rates. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Builder Application Survey for September 2022 found that applications for new home purchases fell 13.2% YOY and 7% from August. Based on that data, MBA predicts that new single-family home sales ran at a seasonally adjusted rate of 637,000 in September. “New home purchase activity declined in September as prospective homebuyers pulled back in response to higher mortgage rates, increased concern about an impending recession, and a broader slowdown in home-price growth,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased almost a full percentage point in the last month, greatly reducing…
The third quarter of 2022 brought the slowest quarterly price growth since Q4 2011, showing just how quickly home prices are changing as the market rebalances. Single-family home prices rose 13.8% YOY in Q3 2022, slowing from last quarter’s 19.1%, according to Fannie Mae’s Home Price Index. The Index measures average quarterly price change for all single-family U.S. properties except condos. Prices were up only 0.2% from Q2, their slowest quarter since 2011. “Year-over-year home price growth decelerated in the third quarter, as the sharp rise in mortgage rates – and declining housing affordability – appears to have weighed further on demand,” said Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. He added that many homeowners who might…
Most Americans want their parents to age comfortably in their own homes, but it can be a challenge for both families and the housing market. Three out of four adults want their parents to be able to age in their own homes, but more than half of Gen Xers don’t feel financially prepared to assist their parents in old age, according to a new study from American Advisors Group. AAG surveyed 1,500 adults aged 40-55 who have senior parents. “The retirement savings crisis is real, and many Gen X adult children are telling us that caring for their parents will be extremely difficult and potentially unattainable,” said Eddie Herda, AAG VP of Brand Strategy. Herda said there is interest in…
