US mortgage activity slips on rising rates

U.S. mortgage application activity declined last week as interest rates rose, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. Mortgage activity involving new loans dropped 3 percent and refinancing fell 5 percent, the MBA said. The organization said average interest rates for standard 30-year, fixed-rate conforming loans increased from 4.17 percent to 4.46 percent. Average points for 30-year, fixed rate loans fell from 0.41 to 0.35, the MBA said. For loans of more than $417,500, called jumbo loans, rates rose from 4.23 percent to 4.52 percent, the highest rates since March 2012. Points for long-term jumbo loans fell from 0.34 to 0.28. Average rates for 30-year, fixed rate contracts backed by the Federal Housing Administration rose from 3.85 percent to 4.2 percent, the highest rate since August 2011, with points increasing from 0.22 to 0.4. The average interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages increased from 3.3 percent to 3.55 percent, the highest rate since November 2011. Points increased to 0.43 from 0.39 in the week. For short-term, adjustable-rate contracts, interest rates rose from 2.81 percent to 3.06 percent with points averaging 0.43, up from 0.39. For short-term loans, the average rate is the highest it has been since October 2011, the MBA said.