WASHINGTON – July 20, 2012
– Average rates on fixed mortgages fell again this week to record lows,
creating more incentive for buyers to enter the recovering housing market.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac
said Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year loan fell to 3.53 percent.
That’s down from 3.56 percent last week and the lowest since long-term
mortgages began in the 1950s.
The average rate on the
15-year mortgage, a popular refinancing option, declined to 2.83 percent, below
last week’s previous record of 2.86 percent.
The rate on the 30-year
loan has fallen to or matched record-low levels in 12 of the past 13 weeks.
Cheaper mortgages have
contributed to a modest housing recovery. Home sales fell in June but were up
from the same month last year. Home prices are rising in most markets.
Builders are putting up
more houses than they have in nearly four years, a long-awaited recovery that
could help energize the U.S. economy.
Low mortgage rates could
also provide some help to the economy if more people refinance. When people
refinance at lower rates, they pay less interest on their loans and have more
money to spend. Many homeowners use the savings on renovations, furniture,
appliances and other improvements, which help drive growth.
Still, the pace of home
sales remains well below healthy levels. Many people are still having
difficulty qualifying for home loans or can’t afford larger downpayments
required by banks.
And the sluggish job market
could deter some from making a purchase this year.
U.S. employers added only
80,000 jobs in June, a third straight month of weak hiring. The unemployment
rate was unchanged at 8.2 percent, the government reported last week.
Slower job creation has
caused consumers to pull back on spending.
Mortgage rates have been
dropping because they tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. A
weaker U.S. economy and uncertainty about how Europe will resolve its debt crisis
have led investors to buy more Treasury securities, which are considered safe
investments. As demand for Treasurys increase, the yield falls.
To calculate average rates,
Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of
each week.
The average does not
include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the
lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.
The average fee for 30-year
loans was 0.7 point, unchanged from last week. The fee for 15-year loans
slipped to 0.6 point, down from 0.7 the previous week.
The average rate on
one-year adjustable rate mortgages was unchanged at 2.69 percent. The fee for
one-year adjustable rate loans also stayed the same, at 0.4 point.
The average rate on
five-year adjustable rate mortgages dropped to 2.69 percent from 2.74 percent
last week. The fee was unchanged at 0.6 point.
2012 The Associated Press
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