Mortgage rates

However, both Zillow's and Optimal Blue put the 30-year fixed mortgage lower than where it was seven days prior.

The May uptick in nonbank housing-finance payrolls came almost entirely from lender hiring as loan broker numbers plateaued and construction demand persisted.

A resilient U.S. economy, lingering inflation and comments from the Federal Reserve contributed to a 10-basis-point hike in the 30-year fixed rate, Freddie Mac said.

The markets had a muted reaction to the Federal Open Market Committee pause on raising short-term rates a week ago, Freddie Mac found.

But the Mortgage Bankers Association also raised the dollar volume that it predicts the purchase market will originate this year.

Monetary policy officials have finally gone a month without tightening but made it clear more action could lie ahead, suggesting it could be awhile before housing finance costs consistently fall.

But activity is still very low, as just 1% of the market is in the position to refinance thanks to high interest rates, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods said.

A change in investor sentiment toward an expected pause by the Fed in short-term rate hikes was the driving force behind the current surge, Freddie Mac said.

Home purchasers had to come up with 0.9% more in April versus what they would have paid in March and 11.8% higher on a year-over-year basis, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Jobs numbers, inflation data and the continued debate over raising the debt ceiling are factors applying upward pressure.

Meanwhile, the average purchase loan amount surged to its highest level in 2023, showing signs of continued demand amid limited inventory.

Conventional and government-backed purchases both increased last week, even with a 12 basis point surge in the 30-year conforming average, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Stronger than expected demand and home prices drove the latest forecast.

Mixed economic signals left mortgage rates flat over the past seven days, with experts suggesting the end of Federal Reserve policy hikes might be coming as well.

Lower mortgage rates during the early part of the month, along with fewer properties for sale helped to drive values higher.

However, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield pushed back up 15 basis points from a week ago as the markets settle following the recent bank failures.

The year-over-year drop in January stemmed primarily from loans where a payment had not been made in at least 120 days but shorter-term arrears were higher during the same period.

The economic situation is more like what happened during the mid-'80s thrift crisis than the 2008 downturn, said Chief Economist Doug Duncan.

Both 30- and 15-year averages dropped for the first time in six weeks, as investors flocked to safety of 10-year Treasuries.

Buyer affordability has decreased by almost 22% in the past year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.