After a one week upward tick, mortgages rates resumed their
general downward trend last week according to both Freddie Mac and the Mortgage
Bankers Association.
Freddie announced that its weekly mortgage survey found that the 30-year
fixed rates mortgage averaged 5.71 percent with points and fees at 0.7 points
for the week ending May 19. The previous week’s average was 5.77 percent. The
15-year fixed was also down to 5.27 percent, .06 percent lower than the previous
week. Fees and points, however, for both mortgage staples were up, 0.2 for the
30-year and 0.1 for the 15-year to an average of 0.7 for each.
While the conventional wisdom has predicted
higher mortgage interest rates for 2005, fixed rates are down from the same
period in 2005. One year ago the 30-year averaged 6.30 percent and the 15 year
5.67 percent.
The 5-year adjustable rate mortgage also fell to 5.07 percent from 5.21
percent but the 1-year ARM was up .03 percent to 4.26 percent. Both products
carried fees and points averaging 0.7 percent. One year ago the 1-year ARM
averaged 3.99 percent. Freddie Mac did not track the 5/1 until the beginning of
2005.
There was substantial regional variation in interest rates
with the North Central region having the highest rates across the board and the
Western region the lowest.
| Region |
U.S. |
No. East |
So. East |
No. Central |
So.West |
Western |
| 30 Year |
5.71 |
5.73 |
5.66 |
5.86 |
5.67 |
5.65 |
| 15 Year |
5.27 |
5.26 |
5.24 |
5.44 |
5.25 |
5.20 |
| 1 Yr ARM |
4.26 |
4.21 |
4.13 |
4.63 |
4.32 |
4.10 |
| 5/1ARM |
5.07 |
5.03 |
5.04 |
5.37 |
5.03 |
4.95 |
The Mortgage Bankers Association weekly survey also reported fixed rates
mortgages down; the 30 year to 5.63 percent from 5.73 the previous week and the
15-year fixed down .04 percent to 5.24 percent. MBA’s survey also showed an
increase in the 1-year ARM to 4.21 percent, up .10 from one week earlier.
The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume,
increased 4.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the week of May 13 and
was up nearly 15 percent from the same week in 2004.
Refinance activity headed up once again to 40.3 percent of all mortgage loan
activity, a .04 percent increase and the ARM share of activity was also up to
34.8 percent compared to 33.9 percent the previous week.