The
Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported on Wednesday that the mortgage
application volume in the U.S. fell 2.7 percent for the weeks ending Dec 24 and
Dec. 31 compared with two weeks earlier.
According
to the MBA’s survey, the decrease reflected declines in both applications to
purchase a home (-4 percent from two weeks ago) and refinance applications (-2
percent).
Meanwhile, the average fixed 30-year mortgage
rate jumped from
3.31 percent to 3.33 percent at the end of December, its highest level since early
April.