Post-pandemic rule changes also have driven the Department of Veterans Affairs' number higher too but not as much as the Federal Housing Administration's.

House lawmakers modified a ban on big-money investors from purchasing single-family homes, broadening the exemptions for build-to-rent properties and eliminating requirements in a Senate version of the bill that affected investors divest their holdings.

While Freddie Mac's weekly data found the 30-year average inching lower, 10-year Treasurys swung in the other direction after this week's economic release.