Applications for U.S. home mortgages rose for the fourth week in a row last week, while rates edged up, an industry group said on Wednesday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity, which includes both refinancing and home purchase demand, rose 1.1 percent in the week ended May 20.

The MBA's seasonally adjusted index of refinancing applications rose 0.9 percent, holding at its highest level since December.

The gauge of loan requests for home purchases gained 1.5 percent.
Fixed 30-year mortgage rates averaged 4.69 percent in the week, edging up from 4.60 percent the week before.