The total mortgage loan application volume fell 6.3% for the week ending July 24, ending a three-week run of increases, according to a weekly survey by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). But compared to the same week last year, the index rose 16.1%. The amount of refinancing applications fell 10.9% from the previous week, and its share of mortgage activity decreased to 52.6% from 55.5% a week ago, according to the survey. The MBA, which also keeps an eye on mortgage rates, noted the average rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages increase to 5.36% from 5.31% with points decreasing to 0.93 from 1.18. For 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, the average rate dropped to 4.75% from 4.80%, with points jumping to 1.14 from 1.03. The amount of loan applications per household fell only 0.6% for the week, according to a weekly survey from Mortgage Maxx, which adjusts raw application data to count multiple applications from within a single household as one participant in the application process. The Mortgage Application Index – or MAX – continued to show weakness overall, according to publisher Paul Descloux. “With housing turnover soon to slide off its summer plateau,” he said, “absent a sharp decline in rates the MAX will soon be under renewed pressure.” Write to Jon Prior.

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