Mortgage Rates See Third Weekly Decline
Rates on 30-year mortgages fell to 6.81% from 6.84% last week, while 15-year mortgage rates eased to 5.96% from 5.97%, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said.
MCCLEAN, Va. — The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage eased for the third week in a row, a welcome trend for prospective homebuyers at a time when elevated borrowing costs remain a drag on the housing market.
The long-term rate fell to 6.81% from 6.84% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.87%.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also fell. The average rate eased to 5.96% from 5.97% last week. A year ago, it was 6.13%, according to Freddie Mac.
Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. The key barometer is the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.
The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.35% at midday Wednesday, down from 4.58% just a few weeks ago.
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has remained relatively close to its high so far this year of just above 7%, set in mid-January. The 30-year rate’s low point this year was in early April when it briefly dipped to 6.62%.
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