The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported this week that new home purchases soared 24% in February from January, as would be buyers got a jump on the spring buying season. To break it down, conventional loans composed 67.7% of loan applications, FHA loans composed 18.7%, RHS/USDA loans composed 0.8% and VA loans composed 12.8%. An MBA spokesperson said low interest rates and fairly mild weather in February were key ingredients to kicking off the spring buying season.