30-Year Rate Dips

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell from 6.28% to 6.26% over the seven-day period ended Dec. 1, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate was unchanged at 5.81%, the average rate for five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages rose from 5.75% to 5.76%, and the average rate for one-year Treasury-indexed ARMs climbed from 5.14% to 5.16%. Fees and points averaged 0.5 of a point for fixed-rate mortgages, 0.6 of a point for hybrid ARMs, and 0.8 of a point for one-year ARMs. "Mortgage rates are in a holding pattern at the moment as financial markets try to discern where inflation and growth in the economy are headed," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist. "Until the market decides these issues, mortgage rates should stay within a relatively narrow band." A year ago, the average 30-year and 15-year fixed rates were 5.81% and 5.23%, respectively, and the average one-year ARM rate was 4.19%, Freddie Mac said.