Mortgage application volume continued to seesaw, increasing 2.4%, on an adjusted basis, during the week ending July 18 after dropping slightly the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey.
On an unadjusted basis, volume increased 3% compared with the previous week.
Applications for refinances increased 4% while applications for new purchases increased 0.3%, according to the MBA.
On an unadjusted basis, purchase application volume increased 1% compared with the previous week and was 15% lower than the same week one year ago.
The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 54.4% of total applications, up from 53.6% the previous week.
Driving the increase in refinances was a slight dip in mortgage interest rates. Although the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) with conforming loan balance ($417,000 or less) remained unchanged at 4.33%, the average rate for a 30-year FRM with jumbo loan balance (greater than $417,000) dipped slightly to 4.21% from the previous week's 4.23%.
The average rate for a 30-year FRM backed by the Federal Housing Administration was 4.03%, down slightly from 4.04% the week prior.
The average rate for a 15-year FRM was 3.47%, down from 3.41% the previous week.
The average rate for a 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) was 3.21%, up from 3.17% the week prior. The ARM share of activity remained unchanged at 8% of total applications.