Rates Dip

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell from 6.32% to 6.30% over the seven-day period ended Dec. 15, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate fell from 5.87% to 5.85%, the average rate for five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages decreased from 5.78% to 5.77%, and the average rate for one-year Treasury-indexed ARMs declined from 5.16% to 5.15%. Fees and points averaged 0.5 of a point for fixed-rate mortgages and hybrid ARMs, and 0.6 of a point for one-year ARMs. "Earlier in the week, interest rates were a bit higher, as financial markets were a little anxious about what language the Federal Reserve would use in its statement this month," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist. "When the Fed signaled that its interest rate tightening might be coming to an end, the financial market breathed a sigh of relief, and rates eased somewhat." A year ago, the average 30-year and 15-year fixed rates were 5.68% and 5.11%, respectively, and the average one-year ARM rate was 4.18%, Freddie Mac said. Freddie Mac can be found online at http://www.freddiemac.com.