Weekly mortgage applications in the United States climbed higher in the week ending Feb. 13, according to data released from the Mortgage Bankers' Association (MBA) on Wednesday.

The MBA reported a 45.7% week-over-week decrease in applications.

In the previous week, applications were down 24.5%.

The portion of fixed-rate mortgages grew 46.9%, after falling 24.8% previously, while those opting for variable rates grew 0.7% after the previous week's 10.2% decrease.

The average loan size was $229.8k, compared to previous week's $224.7k.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage moved down to 4.99% from 5.19%.

By Megan Ainscow and edited by Stephen Huebl
©CEP News Ltd. 2009