Mortgage applications increased 5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Feb. 20, theMortgage Bankers Association (MBA)说。前一周的轻微跳来了despite slightly higher mortgage interest rates, however refinance applications fell 8 percent from the previous week, dragging down total mortgage application volume by 3.5 percent. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) increased to 3.99 percent from 3.93 percent, with points decreasing to 0.33 from 0.35 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. Rates have been on the upswing recently due to improved news from overseas markets, and a robust U.S. employment report in January.
