Tag Archives: Mortgage Rates

Long-term mortgage rates inched up this week, breaking a buyer-friendly trend of successively falling to record-lows week after week for the past three months. The question now is, will the threat of rising interest rates push prospective homebuyers to take a leap? Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rose to 4.35 percent this week. Fifteen-year mortgages, on the other hand, came in again at last week's record low of 3.83 percent. Bankrate, however, reported a jump in mortgage rates across the board.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported Wednesday that its index of home purchase applications jumped 6.3 percent for the week ending September 3, 2010, reaching its highest level since the end of May. Purchase activity, though, is still nearly 40 percent below what it was this time last year. Refinance applications, on the other hand, fell 3.1 percent as interest rates edged up slightly - their first drop in six weeks.

Rock-bottom interest rates and less-than-encouraging economic data have kept mortgage-backed securities (MBS) investors worried about what the government could do next to prop up the ailing housing market, with the latest concern stemming from a recent announcement by Freddie Mac, according to Barclays Capital. The GSE has issued a new servicing guide detailing an ""easy refinance"" option with loan-to-value ratios up to 95 percent and $2,000 cash back to the borrower. Barclays says the program ""is everything but new.""

According to a report from the American Land Title Association (ALTA), title insurance premiums written during the second quarter of 2010 decreased 8.5 percent to an industry total of $2.3 billion. That's down from $2.5 billion in Q2 2009. The industry reported $4.4 billion in title insurance in the first half of 2010, a decline of 2.9 percent from the period a year prior. ALTA says the numbers reflect an on-going recession in the housing market with further downward pressure on home prices.

There seems to be no bottom in sight for mortgage rates. Already at their lowest level in a half-century, they dropped to new record lows again this week. Analysts say we have the weak economy to thank, but that same trigger is also thwarting what would be the ideal upshot - enticing would-be buyers to put a dent in the ballooned housing supply. Freddie Mac reports 30-year mortgages are now averaging 4.32 percent; 15-year rates have dropped to 3.83 percent. Bankrate says the larger jumbo 30-year fixed rate fell to a new low of 5.17 percent.

Mortgage interest rates have dropped to their lowest level in decades, and even with tight credit conditions, more borrowers are beginning to take advantage. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported Wednesday that its index measuring mortgage loan application volume increased 2.7 percent for the week ending August 27, 2010, after interest rates dropped yet again. Refinance activity was up 2.8 percent, while home purchase applications rose 1.8 percent.

Mortgage interest rates are already at their lowest level in decades, and this week, they headed even lower. The descent was prompted largely by fears that another housing downturn could hamper the economic recovery, after July's home sales took a deeper plunge than expected. Freddie Mac reports that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are now averaging 4.36 percent, and 15-year mortgages are at 3.86 percent. Bankrate says the larger jumbo 30-year fixed rate also slipped to a new record low of 5.22 percent.

Bolstered by favorable interest rates and low home prices, housing affordability in the second quarter remained near its highest level of the past two decades, according to an industry index developed by the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo. The study found that 72.3 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the second quarter of 2010 were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. Syracuse, New York was the most affordable major housing market. New York City was the least.

Mortgage interest rates dropped again this week, according to data released Thursday by Freddie Mac. The GSE says for yet another week, fixed-rate mortgages reached new record lows. Rates for 30-year mortgages are now averaging 4.42 percent, while 15-year fixed mortgages are at 3.90 percent. Amy Crews Cutts, Freddie Mac's deputy chief economist, says investors in long-term bonds appear confident that inflation will remain in check, which in turn has helped to push mortgage rates even lower.

Just how low can mortgage interest rates go? Lately it seems like there's no bottom in site. For months now, rates have been falling to new record-lows week after week, and this week, they headed even lower. Freddie Mac reported Thursday that interest rates for 30-year fixed mortgages are now averaging 4.44 percent, and 15-year fixed-rate home loans are at 3.92 percent. Bankrate's weekly survey puts the average rate for 30-year mortgages at 4.57 percent, and 15-year mortgages at 4.06 percent.