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. $ W. n: T4 r' X5 T3 v1 {& r
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. # w+ l. D) Z; X9 z0 kThe 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. $ X6 X0 f. X$ S' W; z! H( oMortgage rates tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which fell below 1.9 percent this week. ( W; w1 y5 q& } BRates 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. # b9 D6 v; v8 }# Z; _: eHigh 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. ; w' _0 Q/ x" W0 s( ?" R' N. X
Sales of previously occupied homes were dismal last year. New-home sales in 2011 were the worst on records going back half a century. 1 @4 x% t+ k/ ^Builders are hopeful that the low rates could boost sales next year. But so far, they have had a minimal impact. ' }! k8 z6 \( h5 m+ y/ G
9 D1 ^4 a6 c% I" ~Mortgage applications have risen slightly over the past four weeks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. But they are coming off extremely low levels. " h1 t: Q. x8 H: vTo calculate the average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country Monday through Wednesday of each week. 1 S# a& C3 v; N4 Z/ ]8 J; b1 ?The 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. ' Q( N. A" A, B& H% m' p
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. ; U1 j# g" Q7 J, H1 S( C4 dFor 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. ! F+ s$ K/ j# U# pThe 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.
