Rates Continue to Deter Purchasing    

Rates Continue to Deter Purchasing    

Mortgage application volume during the week ended July 24 was down slightly from the prior week. Static interest rates did little to stir the refinancing pot, but purchase volume declined. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its Market Composite Index, a measure of that volume, decreased 1.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier and was down 1.5 percent on an unadjusted basis. The Refinance Index ticked down 0.4 percent week-over-week and was 30 percent lower than the same week one year ago. The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 28.7 percent of total applications from 28.4 percent the previous week. [refiappschart] The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index fell 3 percent and declined 2 percent before adjustment. The index was 23 percen