Rates for three of four types of mortgages tracked by Freddie Mac hit record lows this week, as mortgage-backed securities that are the ultimate source of funding for most home loans continue to look attractive to investors.
Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.49 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending Aug. 5, a new low in records dating to 1971, Freddie Mac said in releasing the results of its weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey. This week’s rate was down from 4.54 percent last week and 5.22 percent a year ago.
Rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.95 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from 4 percent last week and 4.63 percent a year ago. That’s a new low in records dating back to 1991, Freddie Mac said.
Rates on 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) loans averaged 3.63 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from 3.76 percent last week and 4.73 percent a year ago. That’s a new low in records dating back to 2005.
Not setting a record were 1-year Treasury-indexed ARMs, which averaged 3.55 percent with an average 0.7 point, down from 3.64 percent last week and 4.78 percent a year ago.
Rates surveyed by Freddie Mac are for prime borrowers taking out loans with 20 percent downpayments. Borrowers taking out loans too large or risky for purchase or guarantee by Freddie Mac can expect to pay more.
