Haver Analytics
Haver Analytics
Global| Apr 17 2019

U.S. Mortgage Loan Applications Decline As Interest Rates Rise

Summary

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its total Mortgage Applications Index fell 5.6% (+24.1% y/y) during the week ending April 5......... The survey covers over 75% of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications and [...]


The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that its total Mortgage Applications Index fell 5.6% (+24.1% y/y) during the week ending April 5.........

The survey covers over 75% of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications and has been conducted weekly since 1990. Respondents include mortgage bankers, commercial banks and thrifts. The base period and value for all indexes is March 16, 1990=100. The figures for weekly mortgage applications and interest rates are available in Haver's SURVEYW database.

MBA Mortgage Applications (%, SA) 4/12/2019 4/05/2019 3/29/2019 Y/Y 2018 2017 2016
Total Market Index -3.5 -5.6 18.6 14.9 -10.4 -17.8 15.6
  Purchase 0.9 0.5 3.4 7.0 2.1 5.6 13.3
  Refinancing -8.2 -11.4 38.5 26.4 -24.3 -34.0 17.3
15-Year Mortgage Effective Interest Rate (%) 3.95 3.94 3.88 4.25 (Apr '18) 4.35 3.59 3.22
  • Gerald Cohen provides strategic vision and leadership of the translational economic research and policy initiatives at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise.

    He has worked in both the public and private sectors focusing on the intersection between financial markets and economic fundamentals. He was a Senior Economist at Haver Analytics from January 2019 to February 2021. During the Obama Administration Gerald was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Macroeconomic Analysis at the U.S. Department of Treasury where he helped formulate and evaluate the impact of policy proposals on the U.S. economy. Prior to Treasury, he co-managed a global macro fund at Ziff Brothers Investments.

    Gerald holds a bachelor’s of science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University and is a contributing author to 30-Second Money as well as a co-author of Political Cycles and the Macroeconomy.

    More in Author Profile »

More Economy in Brief