Mortgage Rates Start the New Year Near All-Time Record Lows

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Mortgage rates moving into 2013 remained near all-time lows, dropping to 3.34 percent for 30-year fixed-rate mortgage for the week ending January 3, 2013. This week’s Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey® shows fixed mortgage rates moving slightly higher following December’s employment report. The 30-year fixed averaged 3.40 percent, its highest reading in eight weeks. The all-time record low for the average 30-year fixed was 3.31 percent set November 21, 2012.

30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.40 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending January 10, 2013, up from last week when it averaged 3.34 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.89 percent.

15-year FRM this week averaged 2.66 percent with an average 0.7 point, up from last week when it averaged 2.64 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 3.16 percent.

5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 2.67 percent this week with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.71 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.82 percent.

1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.60 percent this week with an average 0.5 point, up from last week when it averaged 2.57. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.76 percent.

Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist for Freddie Mac explains “Mortgage rates started the year near record lows which should continue to aid the ongoing housing recovery. New home sales rose in November to a two-year high and were up 15.3 percent from the previous November. Similarly, pending sales on existing homes increased for the third month in November to the strongest pace since April 2010.”

“Fixed mortgage rates increased slightly following a positive employment report for December. The economy added 155,000 jobs, above the consensus market forecast, and November’s job growth was revised upward by another 24,000 workers. This helped keep the unemployment rate steady at 7.8 percent, the lowest since December 2008. For all of 2012, 1.86 million jobs were created and represented the largest annual gain since 2006,” Nothaft adds.

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