Tag Archives: Mortgage Rates

Falling interest rates and demand for hybrid offerings were once again among the most dominant trends in the adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) market in the last year, according to a recent survey.

Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey saw a slight drop in the 30-year fixed rate to an average 3.63 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending January 22, the company reported Thursday. With the decline, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) remains at its lowest average since May 2013.

In a survey released Thursday, Freddie Mac reported that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged a rate of 3.66 percent (0.6 point) for the week ending January 2015, a decline of 7 basis points from last week. Last year around this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.41 percent.

Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) fell to 3.73 percent (0.6 point) in the last week, a decline of 14 basis points from the end of 2014. The 30-year fixed started off last year at an average 4.51 percent.

With the Federal Reserve recently ending its monthly asset purchases and turning toward the possibility of bringing short-term interest rates up in 2015, analysts (including economists at Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, the Mortgage Bankers Association, and other housing groups and companies) are calling for the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate to rise to nearly 4.5 percent, with some calling for an average closer to 5 percent.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) seasonally adjusted mortgage application index ticked up 0.9 percent for the week ending December 19, the trade group reported Wednesday. Unadjusted, the index rose 0.4 percent.

It's been a rollercoaster year for the U.S. housing market, but analysts at Realtor.com say the patterns seen in 2014 could be the foundation for more stable growth in the coming year. In its year-end review, Realtor.com outlined some of the major trends seen in 2014 that signal a strengthening housing recovery.

According to figures released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.80 percent (0.6 point) for the week ending December 18, down 13 basis points from last week's survey. Last year, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.47 percent.

In its last outlook of the year, Freddie Mac looked back at five key consensus predictions for 2014, how they fared, and how they will affect housing and the economy next year. In addition to home sales, the four other areas examined were mortgage originations, home values, rental market, and mortgage rates.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) survey of mortgage activity shows application volumes fell 3.3 percent for the week ending December 12. Taking out adjustments for seasonal influences, application numbers were down 4 percent week-over-week.