Fixed Mortgage Rates Tick Up in 2014

Freddie Mac recently released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates up slightly for the second week in a row. "Mortgage rates crept up further following the uptick in the 10-year Treasury yield as minutes of the Federal Reserve's last meeting indicated little possibility of a pause in the central bank's reduction of bond purchases,” says Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac. “Housing starts in January fell 16 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 888,000 units, below consensus forecast. Permits were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 937,000 in January, also below consensus." According to the survey, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.33 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending February 20, 2014, up from the previous week when it averaged 4.28 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.56 percent. 
 Results reveal that the 15-year FRM averaged 3.35 percent with an average 0.7 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.33 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.77 percent. 
 The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.08 percent with an average 0.5 point, up from the week prior when it averaged 3.05 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.64 percent.
 Survey shows that the 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.57 percent with an average 0.3 point, up from the previous week when it averaged 2.55 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.65 percent. 
 For more information, visit www.FreddieMac.com. Judy Gratton Your Real Estate Edge Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2014. All rights reserved.