Overview
- Applications to buy a home jumped 7.6% to 181.6 in the week ended Nov. 21, the strongest reading since early 2023, while total application volume was essentially flat as refinances slipped.
- MBA data show the average 30-year contract rate edged up to about 6.40% last week, even as separate trackers place typical offers near 5.99% this week.
- Refinance activity eased 6% week over week but remained 117% higher than a year earlier, and refi share dipped to 53.4% of applications.
- Lower rates earlier this fall pushed October prepayment speeds to a three-and-a-half-year high, with ICE noting many 2023–2024 borrowers seized chances to cut payments.
- Overall delinquencies improved in October, but foreclosure starts rose year over year and FHA and VA foreclosures increased, signaling uneven stress across government-backed loans.