Residential construction activity moved in opposite directions in March, as housing starts posted a strong rebound while building permits fell sharply from the previous month’s elevated pace. The latest Census Bureau report suggests builders accelerated new projects even as future pipeline activity softened. Privately owned housing starts rose 10.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.502 million , up from February’s revised 1.356 million pace. Starts were also 10.8% higher than March 2025 levels. Single-family starts increased 9.7% to 1.032 million, while multifamily starts (buildings with five units or more) came in at 446k. On the permitting side, activity pulled back notably. Total building permits fell 10.8% to an annual rate of 1.372 million , down from February’s revised 1.538 million pace and 7.4% below year-ago levels. Single-family permits declined 3.8% to 895k, while multifamily authorizations dropped to 427k. In general, there's no point in reading too much into month-to-month volatility in this data series. What's important is that there's been a decent, supportive floor of construction activity seen in 2024-2025 and a general upward trend since October, 2025. Housing completions were essentially flat for the month, edging up 0.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.366 million . Despite the monthly stability, completions were 12.8% lower than the same time last year. Single-family completions fell 4.8% to 896k, while multifamily completions reached 452k.

April 30, 2026 Download our Mobile App: Download our Mobile App: 30 Yr. Fixed 6.45% -0.05%   5.99% 7.08% 15 Yr. Fixed 6.01% -0.02%   5.55% 6.39% 30 Yr. Jumbo 6.60% +0.00%   6.1% 7.15% Compare Mortgage Rates from Local Lenders for Apr 30, 2026 Mortgage Rates Recover Some of Yesterday's Losses Thu, Apr 30, 2026 3:09PM Mortgage rates spiked on Wednesday (yesterday) after reports suggested a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. As has been the case for most of the past 2 months, interest rate movement was clearly correlated with oil prices. Now today, both are moving back in the other direction though not for reasons that are as obvious as yesterday's. The rally began just after 2am ET with both oil prices and bond yields dropping in concert. Lower bond yields mean lower rates, all else equal. After hitting 6.50% for top-tier 30yr fixed rates, the average lender is back down to 6.45--roughly where th... (read more) Mortgage News Daily Rate Change Points 30 Yr. Fixed 6.45% -0.05 0.00 15 Yr. Fixed 6.01% -0.02 0.00 30 Yr. FHA 5.95% -0.05 0.00 30 Yr. Jumbo 6.60% 0.00 0.00 7/6 SOFR ARM 6.13% +0.01 0.00 30 Yr. VA 5.97% -0.05 0.00 Updates Daily - Last Update: 4/30 Freddie Mac Rate Change Points 30 Yr. Fixed 6.30% +0.07 0.00 15 Yr. Fixed 5.64% +0.06 0.00 Updates Weekly - Last Update: 4/30 Mortgage Bankers Assoc. 30 Yr. Fixed 6.37% +0.02 0.61 15 Yr. Fixed 5.77% +0.02 0.63 30 Yr. Jumbo 6.45% +0.02 0.38 Updates Weekly - Last Update: 4/29 UMBS 30YR 5.0 98.66 +0.32   95.71 100.50 UMBS 30YR 5.5 100.58 +0.21   98.11 101.64 10 YR Treasury 4.377 -0.053   3.948 4.590 Oil Dropping, Bonds Rallying, Data Largely Ignored Thu, Apr 30, 2026 9:40AM From an analytical standpoint, it's hard to offer new and interesting insights when the order of any given day is simply to observe broad war-related sentiment via oil prices.  From there, if bonds are diverging, we have a few things to discuss, but if bond yields are following, the case is closed. Today's case is mostly closed as the correlation i... (read more) MBS Price Change UMBS 4.5 96.44 +0.46 UMBS 5.0 98.70 +0.35 UMBS 5.5 100.61 +0.24 GNMA 4.5 96.51 +0.21 GNMA 5.0 99.31 +0.29 GNMA 5.5 100.78 +0.20 Pricing as of: 4/30 5:33PM EST US Treasury Yield Change 2 YR Treasury 3.867 -0.089 5 YR Treasury 4.004 -0.076 7 YR Treasury 4.188 -0.064 10 YR Treasury 4.372 -0.058 30 YR Treasury 4.968 -0.035 Pricing as of: 4/30 5:33PM EST Other News March Housing Starts Surge 10.8% as Permits Slide Thu, Apr 30, 2026 2:11PM Residential construction activity moved in opposite directions in March, as housing starts posted a strong rebound while building permits fell sharply from the previous month’s elevated pace. The latest Census Bureau report suggests builders accelerated new projects even as future pipeline activity softened. Privately owned housing starts rose 10.8% to a ... (read more) Purchase Applications Rise Again Despite Higher Rates and Fewer Refis Thu, Apr 30, 2026 1:46PM Mortgage applications eased modestly last week, giving back a small portion of the prior week’s sharp gains as rates moved slightly higher. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 1.6% decrease on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending April 24. The pullback was driven by softer refinance demand, while purchase activity continued to imp... (read more) Forecasting, Data, Underwriting Tools., Credit Monitoring Tools; Webinars and Thought Leadership; STRATMOR Insights Thu, Apr 30, 2026 11:47AM As an industry, we tend to care about interest rates, especially mortgage rates. (A recent STRATMOR piece is titled, “Mortgage Rates Are Not Random.”) But there is a group of people much less sensitive to rates and represent competition to lenders. All-cash home purchases have remained structurally elevated since early 2023, averaging 28 percent of existing ... (read more) Latest Video Core inflation rate hit 3.2% in March, as expected; GDP grew 2% in first qu... Fed Chair Powell: Expect tariff price increases to fall in the next two qua... March leading economic index falls 0.6%, falling short of estimates April Chicago PMI comes in at 49.2, falling short of prior numbers Around the Web CNBC Fed holds rates steady but with highest level of dissent since 1992 CNBC Bank of England faces the 'most difficult combination,' says governor Bailey as energy prices soar CNBC Jerome Powell says he will continue to serve as a Fed governor even after chairmanship ends CNBC Core inflation rate hit 3.2% in March, as expected; GDP grew 2% in first quarter Investing Live US initial jobless claims 189K vs 215K estimate Reuters Trump urges Iran to sign a deal after report suggests US may extend blockade The Conference Board The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the US Declined in March After Increasing in February CNBC Trump Fed pick Kevin Warsh clears key Senate hurdle, teeing up final vote BEA Personal income increased $149.2 billion (0.6 percent at a monthly rate) in March Eye on Housing Housings Share of GDP Dips Below 16% for First Time Since 2019 CNBC Treasury yields flat as Fed leaves rates unchanged; oil touches $125 overnight Investing Live US March housing starts 1.502m vs 1.400m expected Investing Live US March Trade advanced goods trade balance -$87.8B versus $-86.95 billion estimate

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