Mortgage Rates Drop This Week After Steady Rise

From RealTrends.com: McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®). The survey results showed lower mortgage rates for both long- and short-term rates.

News Facts

30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.77 percent with an average 0.8 point for the week ending January 6, 2011, down from last week when it averaged 4.86 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.09 percent.

15-year FRM this week averaged 4.13 percent with an average 0.8 point, down from last week when it averaged 4.20 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 4.50 percent

5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.75 percent this week, with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.77 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 4.44 percent.

1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.24 percent this week with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.26 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 4.31 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total cost of obtaining the mortgage.Quotes

Attributed to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac.

“Mortgage rates began the new year a little lower this week and remained below those at the start of 2010, which should help aid the recovery in the housing market.

“Low mortgage rates are an important factor in housing affordability, which in November was the highest since records began in 1971, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Not surprisingly, the Realtors® also reported that pending existing home sales rose for the second consecutive month in November to the strongest pace since April when the homebuyer tax credit expired. More recently, mortgage applications for home purchases at the end of 2010 were roughly running at the same rate as the beginning of the year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.”

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation’s residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Over the years, Freddie Mac has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and more than five million renters.