Affordability Improved Slightly In June

The national median payment applied for by mortgage applicants dropped slightly in June, down to $1,893 from May’s $1,897, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Purchase Applications Payment Index (PAPI) found. PAPI measures the variations in new monthly mortgage payments across time and relative to income. The national PAPI fell 0.2% to a read of 163.9 in June, indicating that new mortgages account for a smaller share of a typical person’s income. A decrease in PAPI shows affordability improving for borrowers due to loan application amounts or mortgage rates falling, or earnings rising. But affordability remains high compared to the same time last year, with the index up 37.4% YOY. “Median mortgage applications payments have held steady during the last two…