Mortgage Refi Applications Drop 15% Since Last Week As Fed Rate Hikes Cool Market (But MBA Purchase Applications Rose 1% WoW)

Anticipation about Federal Reserve rate hikes over the next 12 months are seeding mortgage rates soaring and mortgage refinancing applications plummeting.

Mortgage applications decreased 6.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 25, 2022.

The Refinance Index decreased 15 percent from the previous week and was 60 percent lower than the same week one year ago. 

The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 1 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 1 percent compared with the previous week and was 10 percent lower than the same week one year ago.

Yes, I am surprised at the rise in mortgage purchase applications with rising mortgage rates, unless, of course, people are trying to buy ahead of Fed rate increases.

While The Federal Reserve led to a scorcher in asset prices since 2008, rapid rate increases and quantitative tightening (QT) will have a chilling effect on the housing market.