US 30-year mortgage rate eases to lowest level since February

US MORTGAGE rates eased last week to their lowest level since early February, while a further decline in home-purchase applications suggested even cheaper borrowing costs may be needed to stir demand.

The contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage slipped five basis points to 6.82 per cent in the week ended Jul 19, according to Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) data released on Wednesday (Jul 24). An index of mortgage applications to buy a home decreased 4 per cent to the lowest level since the end of May.

While mortgage rates remain below 7 per cent, they’re still twice as high as they were at the end of 2021. Combined with elevated home prices, many potential homebuyers have been shuffled to the sidelines, evidenced by waning sales of previously owned houses.

A National Association of Realtors measure of homebuyer affordability declined for a fourth straight month in May and stood at one of the lowest levels in the group’s data back to 1989.

MBA’s overall index of applications, which includes those for home purchases and refinancing, decreased 2.2 per cent last week. The refinancing gauge edged up 0.3 per cent.

The MBA survey, which has been conducted weekly since 1990, uses responses from mortgage bankers, commercial banks and thrifts. The data cover more than 75 per cent of all retail residential mortgage applications in the US. BLOOMBERG