NEW YORK, NY - Mortgage rates hit new record lows this week with the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropping to 3.50 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.40 discount and origination points.
The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate slipped to 2.84 percent and the larger jumbo 30-year mortgage inched lower to 3.98 percent, resetting a record low for the 6th week in a row. The 3-year ARM dipped to 2.84 percent and the popular 5-year ARM remained unchanged at 2.74 percent.
The last time mortgage rates were above 6 percent was Nov. 2008. At the time, the average 30-year fixed rate was 6.33 percent, meaning a $200,000 loan would have carried a monthly payment of $1,241.86. With the average rate now 3.50 percent, the monthly payment for the same size loan would be $898.09, a difference of $344 per month for anyone refinancing now.
SURVEY RESULTS
30-year fixed: 3.50% -- down from 3.52% last week (avg. points: 0.40)
15-year fixed: 2.85% -- down from 2.86 last week (avg. points: 0.27)
5/1 ARM: 2.74% -- unchanged from last week (avg. points: 0.40)
Bankrate's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.
For a full analysis of this week's move in mortgage rates, go to www.bankrate.com
The survey is complemented by Bankrate's weekly Rate Trend Index, in which a panel of mortgage experts predicts which way the rates are headed over the next seven days. Most panelists don't see mortgage rates moving much at all, with 50 percent expecting mortgage rates to hold steady in the next seven days. Forty-two percent predict mortgage rates will fall and just 8 percent forecast an increase in mortgage rates in the coming week.
Source: BankRate / #Housing #Economy