Real estate purchases and refinance mortgage activity hold steady - 2005-05-04
Overall mortgage applications held steady last week, increasing 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the week before, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey.

The MBA seasonally adjusted purchase index climbed by 0.1 percent to 482.5 from 482 the previous week. The seasonally adjusted refinance mortgage index increased by 0.4 percent to 2,061.2 from 2,052.5 one week earlier.
Read the full story at Inman.com

Westpac chases mortgage market - 2005-05-04
Westpac has signalled its determination to regain lost market share in mortgage lending by hiring 60 people to process loans originating from third-party brokers.

On the eve of today's interim profit announcement, three senior Westpac executives, including retail bank boss Mike Pratt, talked to about 150 members of the mortgage broking community in Sydney yesterday.
Read the full story at Australian,