Mortgage applications increase 4.1% 

The number of Americans who filed mortgage applications rose 4.1% last week, as homeowners continued to take advantage of low interest rates when refinancing, a leading trade group said Wednesday. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending Aug. 12 noted its market composite index – a measure of mortgage loan applications – grew 4.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis, while the same index increased 3.6% on an unadjusted basis.