标题: Rate on 30-year mortgage falls to record 3.87 pct. [打印本页] 作者: super 时间: 2012-2-2 12:21 标题: Rate on 30-year mortgage falls to record 3.87 pct.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell this week to a record low, the ninth time that has happened in the last year. Even with the cheapest rates in history, the housing market remains depressed. 4 z, M3 E# M9 [) x
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on the 30-year loan dropped to 3.87 percent this week. That below the previous record of 3.88 hit two weeks ago. / a! K) Q5 I) g" t9 |; b! @) ~
The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.14 percent, also a record low. Records for mortgage rates date back to the 1950s. ! R( T/ g; M/ o8 t1 ~
Mortgage rates tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which fell below 1.9 percent this week. : k2 I: F( I t: F
Rates have been low for more than a year, and the average rate on the 30-year loan has hovered near 4 percent for more than three months. Yet few people can afford to buy a home or qualify for a loan. Those who can have already done so. 5 ?: w7 Y+ m* M+ _, C7 l
High unemployment and scant wage gains have made it harder for many people to qualify for loans. Many don't want to sink money into a home that they fear could lose value over the next few years. 9 p# O( G1 o# l% M5 d
Sales of previously occupied homes were dismal last year. New-home sales in 2011 were the worst on records going back half a century. ! h- s' E! X/ w. e$ aBuilders are hopeful that the low rates could boost sales next year. But so far, they have had a minimal impact. 6 u9 h- H% `( V, S # B% G; t: s) I, V- sMortgage applications have risen slightly over the past four weeks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. But they are coming off extremely low levels. 5 J s, U% h7 W/ v- h% BTo calculate the average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country Monday through Wednesday of each week. , F) g% O' j/ G! u! `0 YThe average rates don't 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. 1 E- f3 @1 ^+ `0 N+ @The average fee for the 30-year loan rose to 0.8 from 0.7; the average on the 15-year fixed mortgage was unchanged at 0.8. 0 y* G1 r# D! \For the five-year adjustable loan, the average rate fell to 2.80 percent from 2.85 percent. The average on the one-year adjustable loan rose to 2.76 percent from 2.74 percent. # g1 Z/ H4 \( t3 w, L! yThe average fee on the five-year adjustable loan rose was unchanged at 0.7; the average on the one-year adjustable-rate loan was unchanged at 0.6.
