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38 | M R EP O RT O R I G I NAT I O N S E R V I C I N G DATA G O V E R N M E N T S E C O N DA R Y M A R K E T THE LATEST ORIGINATION An Uphill Battle for Some Homebuyers Here's how where you live impacts how much you pay, with one island paradise proving to be less than utopian when it comes to mortgage fees. I nformation by Clever found that in 2018 borrowers paid in- terest rates ranging from 4.24% to 7.71%, with homeowners in Maine, West Virginia, and Ohio reporting interest rates over 7%. Maine was found to have the highest average interest rate of 7.71%, followed by the 7.39% rate in West Virginia, and Ohio's 7.07% rate. Borrowers in Hawaii paid the most in average mortgage fees at $6,967.89. The District of Columbia had the second-highest average mort- gage fees at $5,395.68, and California was a distant No. 3 at $3,614.08. Homeowners in Hawaii, however, have the lowest average interest rate at 4.25%. A report by Financial Planning found Hawaii County, Hawaii, to be most at risk to face a bubble. Hawaii County has a median home price of $403,625 and annual wages of $43,810. Bristol County, Massachusetts, came in at No. 2 with a median sales price of $300,000 and median wages of $50,973. Mortgages, overall, did not have a good week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Mortgage applications fell 0.1% from the prior week for the week ending November 1. The refinance index grew 2% from the prior week and was 144% higher than last year. The purchase index, though, decreased 3% from the week prior. "U.S. Treasury yields once again exhibited some intraweek volatility before declining sharply toward the end of the week. As a result, mortgage rates decreased, with the 30-year fixed rate falling below 4% again," said Joel Kan, AVP of Economic and Industry Forecasting. "In response to the lower rates, refinance applications climbed 2%, as homeowners with larger loan balances helped to keep the average refinance loan size elevated. Purchase applications fell slightly last week but remained almost 7% higher than a year ago." Refinances accounted for 59.5% of total applications, which is an increase from 58% last week. The share of FHA loans of total applications fell to 11.8% from 12% for the previous week and the VA share is 12%—a marginal increase from the prior week's 11.8%. A report by Financial Planning found Hawaii County to be most at risk to face a bubble.