By Caroline Valetkevitch | Reuters
Applications for U.S. home mortgages rose last week as interest rates declined, an industry group said on Wednesday.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity, which includes both refinancing and home purchase demand, rose 0.4 percent in the week ended April 3.
The MBA’s seasonally adjusted index of refinancing applications fell 3.3 percent, while the gauge of loan requests for home purchases, a leading indicator of home sales, rose 6.8 percent to its highest level since July 2013.