The housing market is staying strong as U.S home mortgage applications increase. According to The Mortgage Bankers Association the seasonally adjusted index of application activity grew 11.7 % last week. Refinancing applications increased to 12.1% and home loan requests jumped 9.6%. 30-year fixed rate mortgages climbed to an average of 3.61% last week, the highest level since the beginning of November and a .09% increase from the previous week. More here