U.S. mortgage applications flat as rates jump: MBA

[September 18, 2019]  (Reuters) - U.S. mortgage applications were little changed on the week even as home borrowing costs jumped in step with a surge in bond yields during a selloff in the global fixed-income market, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday.

The Washington-based group's seasonally adjusted measure on mortgage activity dipped 0.1% to 569.5 in the week ended Sept. 13, with loan requests for home purchases rising for a third straight week.

The average interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, with conforming loan balances of $484,350 or less, increased to 4.01%, a seven-week high. In the prior week, it stood at 3.82%, which was the lowest since November 2016.

(Reporting by Richard Leong; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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