Mortgage Applications Fall Back in the Week Ending September 24, 2021

According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey (WMAS), for the week ending September 24, 2021, the Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased -1.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased -1% compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased -1% from the previous week but was 0.4% higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased -1% from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased -2% compared with the previous week and was -12% lower than the same week one year ago.

In a statement prepared for this week’s survey, Joel Kan, MBA’s Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting said, “Increased optimism about the strength of the economy pushed Treasury yields higher following last week’s FOMC meeting. Mortgage rates in response rose across all loan types, with the benchmark 30-year fixed rate reaching its highest level since early July 2021. The increase in rates — mostly later in the week — led to a decrease in both purchase and refinance applications, with a prominent decline in government loan applications. Conventional loan applications increased, driven by a rise in conventional refinances. This was perhaps a sign that some borrowers reacted to higher rates and decided to refinance.”

Kan went onto say, “With home-price appreciation continuing to run hot, increasing more than 19 percent annually in July, applications for larger loan amounts continue to outpace lower-balance loans. The average loan size for a purchase application reached $410,000, its highest level since May 2021.”