Fixed Rates Fall Again

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell from 6.15% to 6.10% over the seven-day period ended Jan. 19, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate fell from 5.71% to 5.67%, the average rate for five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages decreased from 5.76% to 5.75%, and the average rate for one-year Treasury-indexed ARMs climbed from 5.15% to 5.18%. Fees and points averaged 0.5 of a point for fixed-rate mortgages and 0.6 of a point for ARMs. "Over the last six weeks, long-term mortgage rates have dropped nearly a quarter of a percent in the face of little or no inflationary pressures," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist. "Our outlook for the housing industry continues to be that mortgage rates will remain affordable for the rest of the year at least, keeping the industry alive and well into the foreseeable future." A year ago, the average 30-year and 15-year fixed rates were 5.67% and 5.15%, respectively, and the average one-year ARM rate was 4.11%, Freddie Mac said. Freddie Mac can be found online at http://www.freddiemac.com.