|
Home prices continue to fall. Prices tend to lag sales and millions of foreclosures and short sales
-- when a lender accepts less than what is owed on a mortgage -- remain on the market. And the housing crisis and recession have also persuaded many Americans to rent instead of buy, which has led to a drop in homeownership. Mortgage rates tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. An improved economic outlook has led investors to shift money from U.S. Treasury bonds to stocks. That pushes up Treasury yields, which move in the opposite direction of the price. To calculate the average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country on just Monday through Wednesday of each week. 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. The average fee for the 30-year fixed loan was 0.7. For the 15-year fixed loan, the average fell to 0.7 from 0.8.
For the five-year adjustable loan, the average rate fell to 2.86 percent from 2.90 percent, and the average fee was unchanged at 0.8. The average on the one-year adjustable loan was unchanged at 2.78 percent, and the average fee was unchanged at 0.6.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor