Rates Decline

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell from 6.79% to 6.74% over the seven-day period ended July 13, the first time in five weeks the rate has declined, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate fell from 6.44% to 6.37%, the average rate for five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages declined from 6.39% to 6.33%, and the average rate for one-year Treasury-indexed ARMs decreased from 5.82% to 5.75%, Freddie Mac reported. Fees and points averaged 0.6 of a point for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and one-year ARMs, 0.4 of a point for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, and 0.5 of a point for hybrid ARMs. "June's employment report caught financial markets off guard," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist. "In response, long-term bond yields eased a bit this week." A year ago, the average 30-year and 15-year fixed rates were 5.66% and 5.25%, respectively, and the average one-year ARM rate was 4.39%, Freddie Mac said. Freddie Mac can be found online at http://www.freddiemac.com.