Mortgage rates were modestly higher this week, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rising to 5.11 percent, according to Bankrate.com’s weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.41 discount and origination points. The average 15-year fixed mortgage bumped up to 4.47 percent and the larger jumbo 30-year fixed rate retreated to 5.87 percent. Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) were split, with the average one-year ARM inching lower to 4.83 percent while the five-year ARM climbed to 4.49 percent.
Favorable economic news nudged mortgage rates higher, and the downgrade of Portugal’s sovereign credit rating coupled with an end to the Federal Reserve’s mortgage bond purchase program spells more volatility on the horizon. But things continue to improve in the jumbo mortgage arena, with rates inching lower on a week when most other mortgage products were higher. The average jumbo 30-year fixed mortgage rate is now the lowest since Feb. 2005.
The last time mortgage rates were above six percent was Nov. 2008. At that time, the average rate was 6.33 percent, meaning a $200,000 loan would have carried a monthly payment of $1,241.86. With the average rate now 5.11 percent, the monthly payment for the same size loan would be $1,087.13, a savings of $154 per month for a homeowner refinancing now.
Survey results
30-year fixed: 5.11% -- up from 5.07% last week (avg. points: 0.41)
15-year fixed: 4.47% -- up from 4.45% last week (avg. points: 0.41)
5/1 ARM: 4.49% -- up from 4.46% last week (avg. points: 0.36)
Bankrate's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.
For a full analysis of this week's move in mortgage rates, click here.
The survey is complemented by Bankrate's weekly Rate Trend Index, in which a panel of mortgage experts predicts which way the rates are headed over the next week. Hold on to your hats as three out of every four panelists predicts mortgage rates will climb. A scant 6 percent forecast a decline in mortgage rates and 19 percent expect rates will remain more or less unchanged over the next week.
To see mortgage rates in your area, click here.
For more information, visit www.bankrate.com.
