As forecasts for Fed cuts ebbed, rates rose for the first time in weeks in a Mortgage Bankers Association survey. "The Fed's holding pattern clouds the picture for mortgage rates," Eric Orenstein, senior director of Fitch Ratings, said in a statement on Wednesday. The majority of mortgage professionals surveyed consider improvements in what's been weakening demand either likely (51%) or certain (23%). The Mortgage Bankers Association has forecast the average 30-year conforming mortgage rate will remain in a narrow range between 6% and 6.5%, with a mild lift for housing. While the FOMC is just one influence on mortgage rates, consumers have been highly reactive to it recently, according to Brown.