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Mortgage applications nosedive as rates continue to soar Adjustable rate mortgages saw a surge up to 8.5% of total applications last week

Didier Malagies • Apr 20, 2022


With rates at the highest level in a decade, mortgage applications for the week ending April 15 fell 5%, according to the latest survey by the Mortgage Bankers Association.


The drop was largely driven by an 8% decline in refinancing applications, which was 68% lower than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted purchase index dropped 3% from the week prior, according to the trade group. Purchase mortgage applications were down 14% from the same week a year ago.


“Ongoing concerns about rapid inflation and tighter U.S. monetary policy continued to push Treasury yields higher, driving mortgage rates to their highest level in over a decade. Rates increased across the board for all loan types, with the 30-year fixed rate hitting 5.2%, the highest level since 2010,” said Joel Kan, the MBA’s associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting.


The dramatic uptick in mortgage rates – now 2 percentage points higher than they were a year ago – has effectively eliminated rate-term refinances. Home buyers have also seen their purchasing power erode, all while home prices keep rising.


“Home purchase activity has been volatile in recent weeks and has yet to see the typical pick up for this time of the year,” said Kan.


As a result, other types of mortgage products are seeing renewed interest. Adjustable-rate mortgages, which were all but cast aside during the low-rate years of 2020 and 2021, saw a surge up to 8.5% of total applications last week. That’s the highest level since 2019, the MBA noted. 


“As ARM loans typically have lower rates than fixed rate mortgages, and as this spread has widened, ARM loans have become more attractive to borrowers already facing home purchase loan amounts close to record highs,” Kan added in a statement. 


The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 35.7% of total applications from 37.1% the previous week. The FHA share of total applications increased to 9.9% from 9.5% the week prior. The VA share of total applications also increased, to 10.1%, up from 9.9% the week prior.


The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances increased to 5.20% from 5.13%, with points increasing slightly to 0.66 from 0.63. The average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate jumbo mortgages jumped 8 basis points to 4.76%, with points increasing to 0.46 from 0.37 a week prior, the MBA reported.


As of Monday, rates on 30-year-fixed mortgages averaged 5.27% on Black Knight‘s Optimal Blue OBMMI pricing engine.



The MBA last week lowered its forecast for both refinance and purchase originations this year. The trade group now forecasts purchase originations to rise 4.6% to $1.72 trillion in 2022, followed by gains of 3% in 2023 and 4% in 2024. Refinances are expected to fall 64% to $841 billion in 2022, followed by a 20% drop in 2023.




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By Didier Malagies 29 Apr, 2024
Depending on where you live there is an opportunity in certain areas that you can get $2,500 towards the closing costs. You also get a lower rate and monthly PMI. Programs open up to you where there is down payment assistance and also the 1% down program available. The Gov't is printing 1 trillion every 100 days, and the costs of everything are out of control. The time will come when they will be printing a trillion every 30 days. Credit cards, car loans, and student loans are at unprecedented levels is it time to refinance your home to save money and then do another refinance as a rate term when the pivot happens at some point in the future the cost of everything is going up and not stopping and you will see inflation continue to gain ground once again. Time to put the house in order with a refinance to consolidate debt. A phone call or an email away to go over your present situation and see what makes sense with the present home values tune in and learn https://www.ddamortgage.com/blog didier malagies nmls#212566 dda mortgage nmls#324329
By Didier Malagies 22 Apr, 2024
Retirement at 65 has been a longstanding norm for U.S. workers, but older investors believe that not only is such an outcome unfeasible, but they’re likely to face more challenging retirements than their parents or grandparents. This is according to recently released survey results from Nationwide , with a respondent pool that included 518 financial advisers and professionals, as well as 2,346 investors ages 18 and older with investable assets of $10,000 or more. The survey follows other ongoing research into the baby boomer generation as it approaches “ Peak 65 .” The investors included a subset of 391 “pre-retirees“ between the ages of 55 and 65 who are not retired, along with subsets of 346 single women and 726 married women, Nationwide explained of its methodology. Seven in 10 of the pre-retiree investors said that the norm of retirement at age 65 “doesn’t apply to them,” while 67% of this cohort also believe that their own retirement challenges will outweigh those of preceding generations. Stress is changing the perceptions of retired life, especially for those who are closest to retirement, the results suggest. “Four in 10 (41%) pre-retirees said they would continue working in retirement to supplement their income out of necessity, and more than a quarter (27%) plan to live frugally to fund their retirement goals,” the results explained. “What’s more, pre-retirees say their plans to retire have changed over the last 12 months, with 22% expecting to retire later than planned.” Eric Henderson, president of Nationwide Annuity , said that previous generations who observed a “smooth transition” into retired life do not appear to be translating to the current generation making the same move. “Today’s investors are having a tougher time picturing that for themselves as they grapple with inflation and concerns about running out of money in retirement,” Henderson said in a statement. The result is that more pre-retirees are changing their spending habits and aiming to live more inexpensively. Forty-two percent of the surveyed pre-retiree cohort agreed with the idea that managing day-to-day expenses has grown more challenging due to rising costs of living, while 27% attributed inflation as the key reason they are saving less for retirement today. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said that inflation “poses the most immediate challenge to their retirement portfolio over the next 12 months,” while 41% said they were avoiding unnecessary expenses like vacations and leisure shopping. Confidence in the U.S. Social Security program has also fallen, the survey found. “Lack of confidence in the viability of Social Security upon retirement (38%) is a significant factor influencing pre-retirees to rethink or redefine their retirement planning strategies,” the results explained. “Over two-fifths (43%) are not counting on Social Security benefits as much as previously expected, and more than a quarter (27%) expect to receive less in benefits than previously anticipated.”  The survey was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Nationwide in January 2024.
By Didier Malagies 22 Apr, 2024
Depending on where you live there is an opportunity in certain areas that you can get $2,500 towards the closing costs. You also get a lower rate and monthly PMI. Programs open up to you where there is down payment assistance and also the 1% down program available. I am seeing more and more first-time home buyers coming out now and this is information you need to know. Yes, home prices are higher and rates as well. But if you have these programs available and the payment is affordable then the probability of refinancing down the road is in your favor and if inflation continues to go up so will home prices. Maybe it is the right time to buy a home now? Tune in and learn https://www.ddamortgage.com/blog didier malagies nmls#212566 dda mortgage nmls#324329
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