Mortgage applications drop as home purchases fall

Mortgage applications fell 0.4% last week, with fewer borrowers purchasing homes and the Memorial Day holiday interrupting sales, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. For the week ending June 3, the industry trade group’s purchase index fell 4.4% from a week earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis.  The unadjusted purchase index also fell 15.2% over the previous week, but remains 9% higher than last year. Refinancing activity also edged up with the refinance index growing 1.3%. MBA said the four-week moving average for its seasonally adjusted market index and refinance index rose 1% and 2.1%, respectively, while the four-week moving average for the seasonally adjusted purchase index fell 1.6%. The trade group’s latest data on mortgage rates shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage falling to 4.54% from 4.58% a week earlier, the lowest contract rate since Nov. 19, 2010. In addition, the 15-year, FRM fell to 3.67% from 3.78%, the lowest contract rate since October. During the same week, the refinance share of mortgage activity grew to 67.3% of total applications, up from 65.7% a week earlier, making it the highest refinance share in four months. Write to Kerri Panchuk.