The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a drop in mortgage applications and refinance applications last week. In this video, Motley Fool financial analyst Matt Koppenheffer tells us how, if this is the beginning of a trend, it could be very scary for the banks right now, as the fees from these mortgage and refinancing applications had been a major part of banks offsetting their shrinking net interest margins. He also tells us why, if this is a trend, it could be particularly bad for Bank of America (BAC +0.79%), though he warns that we shouldn't jump to conclusions yet over one week's worth of data.
A Tricky Turn of Events for Bank of America
By Matt Koppenheffer – Jan 30, 2013 at 5:47PM
NYSE: BAC
Bank of America
Market Cap
$396B
Today's Change
(0.79%) $0.42
Current Price
$53.45
Price as of October 31, 2025 at 4:00 PM ET
The beginning of a scary trend?
About the Author
Matt is the head of the Coverage Team for The Motely Fool's premium products. Previously, he's been . Matt is a heavy user of AI tools and is working on harnessing them to help Fool members. Previously, Matt was GM of Motley Fool Ascent, led The Motley Fool Deutschland, has been an investor on various Fool services, and co-hosted the podcast "Where the Money Is". He also co-authored the book The Astonishing Collapse of MF Global. Matt started his career in San Francisco as a technology-focused investment banker and also worked at a $15 billion private equity company. When he's thinking about how to make Fools smarter, happier, and richer, you can usually find Matt running trails or making a mess in the kitchen. He's a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, but is a lifelong fan of Penn State football.