Archive for Mortgage Refinance Rates

According to MBA, mortgage refinance applications increased last week as homeowners looked to seize on record low interest rates. The jump in refinance applications came from all over the country as borrowers from California to Maine were seeking lower monthly mortgage payments once again.  The Mortgage Bankers Association reported yesterday that overall activity surged nearly 4.5% for the week ended January 6th. Most analysts predict that the mortgage refinance rate will remain at record lows for most of 2012.

Home Mortgage Refinancing Volumes Continue to Soar with Record Low Rates

The index got a boost from a 3.3% increase in refinance loans while consumers looking for a home purchase loan spiked 8.1 % from a week earlier.  The refinance loan share of home financing activity fell to 80.8% of total applications from the prior week’s survey high of 81.9%.

The fixed 30-year refinance rates, on loans with conforming balances ($417,500 or less) rose to 4.11% from 4.07%. The jumbo rates fell to 4.34 % from 4.41%.

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U.S. home loan application volumes rose last week to the highest level since December of 2010 as lower rates and lending costs made home refinancing more appealing. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of loan applications rose 7.8% in the week ended May 13th. MBA reported that refinancing volume increased13%, while the home buying gauge dropped 3.2%.

Many borrowers are giving lenders a second chance to lower their monthly payments.  Many homeowners are seeking help to get the best mortgage rates for refinancing. Rates have dipped to the lowest levels in nearly six months. Qualified homeowners now have the ability to refinance their existing mortgages to lower the housing expenses. Some homeowners are even refinancing their 1st and 2nd mortgage together and saving a bundles in the process.

MBA said that the average rate on a 30-year fixed loan decreased last week to 4.60%, the lowest since the end of November, from 4.67%.  Refinancing costs reached 4.21% in October, a record-low dating back to when the group’s records began in 1990.  The average rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage dropped to 3.75% from 3.81%, the report showed.  Read the original article, Lenders Report Lower Rates for Refinancing.

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As you know, interest rates change with the trends of the market.  The current mortgage refinance rates for a fixed 30-year mortgage is 4.75%.  Fixed rate refinancing for a year-15 mortgage is currently at 4.00%.  A 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage right now is 3.25%, but the trend for higher rates could push this amount up this coming year.  There are several factors that will determine mortgage refinancing for 2011.

First, keep your eye on the economy.  Economic trends factor in hugely to dictate whether a higher FHA mortgage insurance premium will be seen this year along with what conventional rates will be.  The Federal Reserve stimulus along with tax agreements seem to ensure that the economy will continue to climb through 2011.  What this means for FHA mortgage rates, and all other mortgage refinance rates, is that they will slowly but surely increase throughout this year and into the next.

Is the Trend for Higher Refinance Rates on the Horizon?

Another factor is that homebuyers are going to start returning in larger numbers.  Improvement in the labor market and still very reasonable interest rates will encourage people to buy homes and seek mortgage rate refinancing.  There might still be somewhat strict underwriting practices this coming year in determining applicants’ personal rates on 15-year mortgage and 30-year mortgage fixed rate refinancing.

Then, an additional factor worth considering is that the Federal Reserve program called Quantitative Easing II (QEII) may or may not end.  It was only initiated in November 2010, but its goal to foster low interest rates has had the opposite effect.  However, there certainly has not been a spike in interest rates—an occurrence that could have forced the economy back into another recession—so there is talk that the program might be extended instead of terminating mid-2011 as originally planned.  Either way, it can be agreed that a trend for higher rates will be seen in 2011.

These are some of the main factors that play into FHA mortgage rates, conventional rates, and mortgage refinance rates on the whole.  While a higher FHA insurance premium and other rates on those holding a 15-year mortgage or 30-year mortgage are expected to increase, that means the economy is improving, as long as mortgage rate refinancing and other rates in regards to mortgages increase at a gradual, manageable pace.  Having said that, rates are still quite favorable, and you can still take advantage of fixed rate refinancing.

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Mortgage lenders and homeowners received more positive mortgage refinancing news today as home refinance rates fell across the board. Interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped in the latest week, real estate website Zillow.com said Tuesday.  Uncertainty over the economic recovery has spurred demand for safe-haven U.S. government debt, pulling yields and mortgage interest rates lower. Those lower home loan rates should lift mortgage refinancing activity and put more cash into consumers’ hands to funnel into the economy. They also make homes more affordable as the housing market copes with the absence of government support.  According to Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, mortgage rates on 30-year fixed rate home loans reported 4.28% Tuesday afternoon, down from 4.38% at the same time last week.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate steadily declined for the majority of the week, hovering near 4.34%, with a steep fall to 4.29% on Monday, Zillow said.   Mortgage refinance rates on other types of home loans also fell.  15-year fixed mortgage rates were 3.85%, down from 3.87% the prior week. Rates for 5/1 ARM loans set at a fixed rate for five years and adjustable each following year, were 3.27%, down from 3.37%.  Rates for FHA refinance loans also dropped to 4.25% on averages for fixed 30-year terms.  Rates on 30-Year home equity loans fell another .15% so many borrowers looked to refinance their adjustable rate HELOC into a fixed rate loan.

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With mortgage refinancing activity rising each week, we were bound to see a drop one of these days and we finally did.  The MBA reported that loan applicants seeking home refinancing declined to 78% last week from 79.4% the prior week, which was the highest level since April 2009.   The average mortgage refinance rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage rose to 4.12% from 4.05%, and the interest rate on a one-year adjustable home loan fell to 7.15 % from 7.17 %

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index fell 4.4% in the week ended July 23, the Washington-based group said today. The mortgage refinance measure fell 5.9% from the prior week’s one-year high, but the home purchase index did increase 2%.  The average mortgage refinance rate with a 30-year fixed rate increased to 4.69% from 4.59% the prior week, which was the lowest since data began in 1990.

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