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. 1 I. z7 S0 i( w2 w' b) q
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. 9 N6 q* C+ A+ \4 X
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. ! P5 r$ ?9 s& w" z9 t$ ]/ ?) VMortgage rates tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which fell below 1.9 percent this week. : x) E; z7 B, IRates 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. ; \2 T Z! x% ~
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. % ^8 b$ K3 V p) P* B
Sales of previously occupied homes were dismal last year. New-home sales in 2011 were the worst on records going back half a century. 4 b+ f/ }: [7 a3 K
Builders are hopeful that the low rates could boost sales next year. But so far, they have had a minimal impact. ! V) A; c! y0 f( n, f + n9 A3 b# H3 R" SMortgage applications have risen slightly over the past four weeks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. But they are coming off extremely low levels. h- \ |( s/ G, qTo calculate the average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country Monday through Wednesday of each week. ' w+ i# d# J/ O3 ?7 |% d
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. : F9 N* Y5 S# _5 x9 P" z# C V
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. 7 T, c' i+ R; Z5 z7 |8 YFor 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 m. n+ }& `8 X7 ]. w6 ^( FThe 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.
