Mortgage refinance demand plunges 19% after interest rates shoot higher

Mortgage rates last week jumped to the highest level since the end of last year, causing a crash in the growing refinance demand the market had been seeing at the start of this year. That pushed total mortgage application volume down 10.9% compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances, $832,750 or less, increased to 6.30% from 6.19%, with points increasing to 0.63 from 0.58, including the origination fee, for loans with a 20% down payment. "Mortgage rates continued to move higher, driven by increasing Treasury yields as the conflict in the Middle East kept oil prices elevated, along with the risk of a broader inflationary shock. Mortgage rates increased across the board," said Joel Kan, an MBA economist in a release. Applications to refinance a home loan plunged 19% week-to week but were still 69% higher than the same week one year ago. "Rates were around 20 basis points higher than they were two weeks ago, and this caused a reversal in refinance activity, particularly for conventional refinance applications, which decreased 27 percent over the week. Government refinances also declined but by 5 percent, as FHA rates have not increased quite as rapidly," Kan added. Get Property Play directly to your inbox CNBC's Property Play with Diana Olick covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, delivered weekly to your inbox. Subscribe here to get access today . Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home managed to eke out a 1% gain for the week and were 12% higher than the same week one year ago. The all-important spring housing market, which officially begins at the end of this week, is kicking off with slightly more inventory than last year, and interest rates are still 42 basis points lower than they were a year ago. Affordability is improving, with prices now dropping in some markets an...