Rates Hit 7-Month Lows

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 5.58% for the week ending Feb. 20 from 5.66% the previous week, its lowest rate since the 5.52% recorded last July, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate fell from 4.96% to 4.87%, and the average rate for one-year Treasury-indexed adjustable-rate mortgages dipped from 3.57% to 3.53%, also the lowest these rates have been since July. Fees and points averaged 0.6 of a point for all three mortgage categories. "Mortgage rates this week are at seven-month lows and teetering on the 45-year low levels of last summer," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist. "There continues to be no sign of inflation on the horizon and, as a matter of fact, core inflation is at a generational low." A year ago, the average 30-year and 15-year fixed rates were 5.84% and 5.21%, respectively, and the average one-year ARM rate was 3.81%, Freddie Mac said. Freddie Mac can be found online at http://www.freddiemac.com.