According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell last week, reaching the lowest point since June. The drop in rates was the second in as many weeks and kicked off a surge in demand for home loans. The Market Composite Index, which measures both purchase and refinance volume, was up 6.4 percent from one week earlier, due to a 9 percent increase in refinance demand and a 2 percent spike in purchase loan activity. The survey, which covers 75 percent of all U.S. residential mortgage applications, has been conducted weekly since 1990. More here.