Mortgage applications spike

Refinancings soar as home loan rates fall after the government's actions to stabilize housing.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- U.S. mortgage applications surged in the latest week, driven by a spike in demand for refinancing as the average rate on 30-year fixed-rate home loans fell, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday.

Refinancing applications jumped 30% in the week ended March 13 as the borrowing rate dipped 0.07 percentage point to 4.89%, tying the record low reached in early January in a survey that dates to 1990.

The MBA's market index, which includes both purchase and refinance loans, jumped 21.2% to 876.9, the highest since mid-January.