Applications for U.S. home mortgages increased last week as interest rates dipped to their lowest in a month, an industry group said on Wednesday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity rose 5 percent in the week ended Jan. 14.
The MBA's seasonally adjusted index of refinancing applications gained 7.7 percent last week, and the gauge of loan requests for home purchases fell 1.9 percent.

Fixed 30-year mortgage rates averaged 4.77 percent in the week, down 1 basis point from 4.78 percent the prior week. The rate is down from 4.93 percent at the end of December.