Americans flee mortgage market despite lower rates as lenders tighten grip on credit nationwide
Fewer Americans are applying for mortgages despite lower rates — even as lending standards tighten — signaling that high prices and financial pressures are outweighing modest rate relief.For the week ending Jan. 2, mortgage applications fell 9.7% from two weeks earlier — a steep drop marking a new low to close out 2025 — according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) latest Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey. That’s a roughly 10% […]