Mortgage interest rates increased slightly for the week ended Feb. 20

Average 30-year fixed-rate mortgages were up to 5.07 percent from 4.99 percent. Mortgage interest rates increased slightly for the week ended Feb. 20, driven by the previous week’s heavier-than-normal applications for new and refinanced loans, according to data from the Washington, D.C.-based Mortgage Bankers Association. The latest survey results, covering about 50 percent of all U.S. retail residential applications, show average 30-year fixed-rate mortgages were up to 5.07 percent from 4.99 percent. The 15-year fixed rate climbed to 4.71 percent from 4.66 percent. One-year adjustable-rate mortgages climbed to 6.13 percent from 6.1 percent, but make up less than 2 percent of all mortgage applications. Overall, association data shows applications were down 22.6 percent from the previous week, but up 9.8 percent from the comparable week in 2008. The application decline was heavily influenced by a refinancing falloff of 19.1 percent, while purchase financing declined 2.6 percent. Refinancings accounted for 69.7 percent of all applications, down from 74.2 percent in the previous week.