Freddie Mac has released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), and for yet another week, fixed-rate mortgages reached record lows, as did the five-year adjustable rate in this survey. The 30-year fixed-rate survey began in 1971, the 15-year began in 1991, and the five-year adjustable in 2005.
“The 12-month price growth of core personal expenditures remained at 1.4 percent in July, which kept overall inflation expectations well at bay," said Amy Crews Cutts, deputy chief economist, Freddie Mac. "Fed chairman Bernanke reiterated this in his Aug. 27 speech in Wyoming, noting that with inflation expectations reasonably stable and the economy growing, inflation should remain near current readings for some time before rising slowly. As a result, mortgage rates eased further this week to new historic lows."
Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) averaged 4.32 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending Sept. 2, 2010, down from last week when it averaged 4.36 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.08 percent. Fifteen-year FRMs this week averaged a record low of 3.83 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.86 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 4.54
percent.
The five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.54 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.56 percent. A year ago, the five=year ARM averaged 4.59 percent. The one-year Treasury indexed ARM averaged 3.50 percent this week with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.52 percent. At this time last year, the one-year ARM averaged 4.62 percent.
“House prices, however, appear to be firming. Home prices rose 2.3 percent between the first and second quarter of this year, reaching the highest level since the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the S&P/Case Shiller National Home Price Index," said Cutts. "In addition, 15 metropolitan areas in the 20-City Composite Index experienced annual house price growth in June, compared to 13 in May and 11 in April.”
For more information, visit www.freddiemac.com.
