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! A4 x% B0 ~: ]' UMortgage 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. 2 B5 O3 U4 a2 p8 ?& h9 y, ?
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. . C1 v B" t6 Y4 a2 MMortgage rates tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which fell below 1.9 percent this week. 8 b, q) e/ i% r$ l7 }8 ^1 f, Y- I8 x7 @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. % Y9 F2 x' H9 D4 F9 p8 @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. & \, B% }" W# W# Y/ g4 X1 \
Sales of previously occupied homes were dismal last year. New-home sales in 2011 were the worst on records going back half a century. 2 @1 w/ q' t$ g4 _% @# [
Builders are hopeful that the low rates could boost sales next year. But so far, they have had a minimal impact. * S0 {+ w! ?$ R
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Mortgage applications have risen slightly over the past four weeks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. But they are coming off extremely low levels. $ G3 z" I3 }1 l9 S: `
To calculate the average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country Monday through Wednesday of each week. , n; D$ f- |5 X% t0 L: |6 C oThe 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. 8 [: F* q1 o, L1 r# U Y' A2 G
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. / w( j: _# C: w2 l
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. 2 ^/ d& d" W- e) O" Q. @8 y JThe 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.
