Mortgage Rates Ease Slightly


MCLEAN, VA--(Marketwired - Jun 20, 2013) - Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey(R) (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates moving slightly lower for the week as markets awaited the Federal Reserve's monetary policy announcement.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.93 percent with an average 0.8 point for the week ending June 20, 2013, down from last week when it averaged 3.98 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.66 percent. 

  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.04 percent with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.10 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.95 percent. 

  • 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 2.79 percent this week with an average 0.5 point, the same as last week. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.77 percent.

  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.57 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.58 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.74 percent. 

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Visit the following links for the Regional and National Mortgage Rate Details and Definitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

Quotes
Attributed to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac.

"Mortgage rates were relatively unchanged this week as market participants awaited the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy announcement. The Fed stated that economic growth has been expanding at a moderate pace and that labor market conditions have shown further improvement, although the unemployment rate remains elevated. It noted inflation has been running below the Fed's longer-run objective as well. As a result, the Fed will continue its bond-buying program at the current pace and maintain its highly accommodative monetary policy stance.

"The Fed also affirmed that the housing sector has strengthened further. For instance, single-family housing permits increased nearly 2 percentage points in May to an annualized pace of 649,000 homes, the most since May 2008. In addition, homebuilder confidence in June rose to its highest reading since March 2006."

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation's residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is one of the largest sources of financing for multifamily housing. For more information please visit www.FreddieMac.com and Twitter: @FreddieMac

Mortgage Rates Ease Slightly