Smart Borrower Blog

Archive for the ‘Mortgage Refinancing’ Category

Refinances Take Off as Mortgage Rates Tank

In the wake of the plummeting interest rates, U.S. mortgage borrowers rushed to refinance in the latest week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The MBA’s seasonally adjusted mortgage volume index rose 21.7% this week from the week before and 81% from the year before. Most of that growth came from an explosion in refinance […]

Fed Makes First Rate Cut in a Decade

The Federal Reserve voted today to lower its target interest rate by 25 basis point to a range of 2% to 2.25%, the first rate cut in 11 years. The Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) found that “the [U.S.] labor market remains strong and that economic activity has been rising at a moderate rate,” […]

Mortgage Applications Stall as Rates Increase

Long-term U.S. mortgage interest rates rose in the latest week, according to data from Freddie Mac, without having much effect on home loan application volume. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 3.75% with 0.6 point, up from 3.73% the week before. One year ago, the average rate was much higher at […]

Mortgage Rates Halt Decline in Latest Week

As investor fears about international trade lessened, long-term U.S. mortgage interest rates held steady in the latest week after falling for the previous six, according to Freddie Mac. The average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage (FRM) was 3.82%, with an average 0.6 point during the week ended June 13, 2019, unchanged from the […]

Home Purchase Requests Jump to 9-Year Record High

Even as interest rates continued to climb, the number of applications for home purchases rose to the highest level since April 2010, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Total mortgage application volume decreased 3.5% during the week ended April 17, 2019, but was up 14% from the previous year. Home purchase requests rose 1% in […]

Household Debt Tops Pre-Recession High

Americans owed $13.54 trillion in household debt as of the 2018 fourth quarter, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a 0.2% increase from the third quarter and the 18th straight quarterly gain. Total household debt has surpassed even the pre-recession peak of $12.68 trillion and is 21% higher than the […]

Falling Interest Rates Spur Mortgage Application Rebound

The number of U.S. mortgage applications soared in the latest week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, a result of a sharp drop in long-term interest rates. The MBA’s Market Composite Index – a measure of mortgage application volume – rose 23.5% on an unadjusted basis during the week ended Jan. 4, 2019. “Mortgage rates […]

Mortgage Rates Top 5%, Loan Applications Slip

As long-term U.S. mortgage interest rates rose to their highest level in over 7 years, fewer potential buyers and refinance borrowers applied for home loans this week, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The average rate on a conforming 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped to 5.05%, with 0.51 points, up from 4.96% and 0.49 […]

Homeowner Equity Tops All-Time High

U.S. homeowners collectively experienced a historic milestone in the 2018 second quarter – total ‘tappable’ home equity grew to a record high, according to Black Knight Inc. Black Knight’s Mortgage Monitor Report found that U.S. tappable equity jumped up to $6 trillion, a gain of $636 billion since the beginning of 2018 and triple the amount […]

Refinance Volume Falls to 18-Year Low

Fewer Americans applied for refinance loans in the latest week, as U.S. mortgage interest rates rose to a 5-week high, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. In fact, that jump in rates was enough to push refinance application volume to its lowest point in 18 years. “As mortgage rates increased to a five-week high, the […]