Mortgage application volume climbed 2.5 percent for the week ended Dec. 7, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly loan application survey, the Associated Press reported.

The MBA’s weekly application index increased to 811.8 from 791.8 the previous week.

Refinance volume rose 4.3 percent, while purchase volume grew 1.7 percent. Refinance applications accounted for 57.6 percent of total mortgage applications during the week ended Dec. 7, compared with 56 percent during the prior week.

Mortgage applications climbed despite a jump in interest rates. The average interest rate for traditional 30-year fixed-rate mortgages grew to 6.07 percent during the week ended Dec. 7, from 5.82 percent during the prior week. The average interest rate for one-year adjustable-rate mortgages rose to 6.31 percent from 6.28 percent.

The MBA’s index peaked at 1,856.7 during the week ended May 30, 2003. An index value of 100 is equal to the application volume on March 16, 1990, the first week the MBA tracked application volume. A reading of 811.8 means mortgage application activity is 8.118 times higher than it was when the MBA began tracking the data.