The average rate on long-term mortgage loans in the US rose by 6 basis points last week, hitting a high since late January amid rising US government bond yields. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the average interest rate on 30-year loans for home purchases of up to $806,500 for the week ending May 23 was 6.98% per annum, compared to 6.92% a week earlier.
A year earlier, mortgage rates stood at 7.05%. The number of mortgage applications in the United States fell 1.2% last week after a 5.1% decline the week before. Applications for new home purchases rose 2.7%, while applications for refinancing existing mortgages fell 7.1%.
