Mortgage refinance demand jumps to a 2-year high, as interest rates drop

Mortgage rates dropped to the lowest level since March last week, sparking swift demand in refinancing. Homebuyers, however, seemed unimpressed.

Applications to refinance a home loan jumped 15% last week, compared with the previous week, to the highest level since August 2022, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. Demand was 37% higher than the same week one year ago when mortgage rates were exactly the same.

While the increase last week was large, it is coming off a very small base. Refinance demand is still more than 70% lower than it was in early 2020, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 or less) decreased to 6.87% from 7.00%, with points dropping to 0.57 from 0.60 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment.

“Mortgage rates declined last week, as recent signs of cooling inflation and the increased likelihood of Fed rate cuts later this year pulled them lower,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, in a release.

Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home fell 3% for the week and were 14% lower than the same week one year ago. Buyers today are facing a lean and pricey market, and now, with the expectation that rates could drop even more, they may be waiting on the sidelines for a better opportunity. More supply is slowly coming onto the market and sellers are starting to reduce prices, especially for homes that have been sitting on the market for a while.

Mortgage rates have not changed much to start this week, despite a stronger-than-expected report on retail sales.