Mortgage applications on U.S. homes ticked up 0.2% this past week. Refinancing activity, however, declined slightly nationwide. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s market composite index – a measure of loan application volume – edged up 0.2% this past week when compared to a week earlier. This slight increase occurred as the refinance index fell 0.2% from the previous week and the seasonally adjusted purchase index rose 1.8%. Activity for the period remained subdued as refinancing activity declined overall. The MBA report says home refinancings made up  77.1% of all mortgage application activity this past week, down from 77.3% a week earlier. This marks the fourth consecutive week of declines in the refinancing segment, the MBA said. Regionally, mortgage application activity increased the most in the Pacific region, jumping 7.5% in September compared to a month earlier. The Mid-Atlantic region performed the worse, with mortgage application activity falling 1.9%. Refinancing activity grew the most in the East-Northern Central region, while the Pacific area’s refinancing activity increased the least. Vermont outpaced all states after experiencing the largest increase in refinance mortgage applications in September. At the same time, Vermont reported the largest decline in purchase applications. Write to Kerri Panchuk.