The Mortgage
Bankers Association (MBA) reported on Wednesday the mortgage application volume
in the U.S. fell 3.1 percent in the week ended August 30, following a 6.2 percent
drop in the previous week.
According to
the report, refinance applications declined 7 percent, while applications to
purchase a home rose 4 percent.
Meanwhile, the
average fixed 30-year mortgage rate decreased to 3.87 percent from 3.94 percent.
“Ongoing trade
tensions between the U.S. and China led to volatile, yet declining Treasury
rates last week, causing the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to fall to 3.87%, its
lowest level since November 2016,” notes Joel Kan, MBA’s associate vice
president of economic and industry forecasting.