Thirty-Year Mortgages Hit Low of 3.84 Percent

Freddie Mac has released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), showing average fixed mortgage rates finding new all-time record lows, as the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.84 percent, with an average 0.8 point for the week ending May 3, 2012, down from last week when it averaged 3.88 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.71 percent. The 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.07 percent with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.12 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 3.89 percent. "Signs of slowing economic growth and inflation remaining subdued allowed yields on Treasury bonds to ease somewhat and brought most mortgage rates to new all-time record lows this week," said Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist of Freddie Mac. "Real Gross Domestic Product rose at an annualized rate of 2.2 percent in the first quarter of this year, down from the previous quarter of 3.0 percent and below the market consensus forecast of 2.5 percent. In addition, the 12-month growth in the core price index of personal consumption expenditures was 2.0 percent in March which matches the Federal Reserve's implied inflation target." The five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 2.85 percent this week, with an average 0.7 point, unchanged from last week when it averaged 2.85 percent. A year ago, the five-year ARM averaged 3.47 percent. The one-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.70 percent this week with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.74 percent. At this time last year, the one-year ARM averaged 3.14 percent.