According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, demand for mortgage loans was up 5.5 percent last week from the week before. The increase included a 7 percent spike in demand for purchase loans and a 5 percent gain in the number of people requesting applications to refinance their home. The Purchase Index was at its highest level since July. The survey also found the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell again last week for all loan types. But despite the drop in rates, the refinance share of total mortgage activity was unchanged from the previous week at 61 percent. The survey, which the MBA has been conducting weekly since 1990, covers 75 percent of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications. More here.