Lower Than Expected Mortgage Rates Continue in U.S.

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Based on Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), U.S. mortgage rates moved lower for the fifth consecutive week amid ongoing market volatility. The average 30-year fixed is at its lowest point since the week of April 30, 2015 when it averaged 3.68 percent.

Sean Becketti, chief economist of Freddie Mac commented, "Market volatility -- and the associated flight to quality -- continued unabated this week. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped another 15 basis points, and the 30-year mortgage rate fell 7 basis points as well, to 3.72 percent. Both the Treasury yield and the mortgage rate now are in the neighborhood of early-2015 lows. These declines are not what the market anticipated when the Fed raised the Federal funds rate in December. For now, though, sub-4-percent mortgage rates are providing a longer-than-expected opportunity for mortgage borrowers to refinance."

Freddie Mac News Facts

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.72 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending February 4, 2016, down from last week when it averaged 3.79 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.59 percent.

• 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.01 percent with an average 0.5 point, down from 3.07 percent last week. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.92 percent.

• 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 2.85 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.90 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.82 percent.