After increasing 2.8% the previous week, mortgage application volume increased 0.9% on an adjusted basis during the week ended Sept. 2, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey, which covers about 75% of applications nationwide.
Applications for refinances increased 1%, on an adjusted basis, and applications for purchases increased 1%, as well.
On an unadjusted basis, applications for purchases decreased 1% compared with the previous week but increased 7% compared with the same week one year earlier.
The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 64.0% of total applications from 63.5% the previous week.
Mortgage rates increased slightly but continued to hover near historic lows. The average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) was 3.68%, up slightly from 3.67%.
The average rate for a 30-year jumbo FRM was 3.66%, up from 3.63%.
The average rate for a 30-year FRM backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was 3.52%, down from 3.54%.
The average rate for a 15-year FRM remained unchanged at 2.96%.
The average rate for a 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) was 2.87%, down from 2.90%.
The ARM share of activity decreased to 4.3% of total applications.
Looking at the government programs, applications for mortgages backed by the FHA represented about 9.5% of all applications – down from 9.7% the week prior. The Veterans Affairs share of total applications was 11.9%, down from 12.5%, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture share remained unchanged at 0.6%.