Residential Mortgage Rates Continue to Rise in U.S.

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According to Freddie Mac's (OTC: FMCC) latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey  (PMMS), which found that both fixed- and short-term mortgage rates continued to rise this week. This was the fifth week in a row where fixed-rate mortgage rates were up.

Freddie Mac's senior economist Frank Nothaft stated, "Market concerns over stronger economic growth that, in the near term, could lead to an increase in inflation have sparked a rise in bond yields and mortgage rates have followed. For instance, the growth in retail sales excluding automobiles in November was twice that of the market consensus forecast.

Industrial production showed the biggest gain in November since July, according to the Federal Reserve Board. And consumer sentiment, as measured by the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index, rose to a six-month high in December. As a result, interest rates for 30-year fixed mortgages this week were the highest since the week of May 20th of this year."

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.83 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending December 16, 2010, up from last week when it averaged 4.61 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.94 percent.

The 15-year FRM this week averaged 4.17 percent with an average 0.7 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.96 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 4.38 percent.

The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.77 percent this week, with an average 0.7 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.60 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 4.37 percent.

The 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.35 percent this week with an average 0.7 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.27 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 4.34 percent.



Freddie Mac defines its regions as follows:

Northeast: NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC, VA, WV, ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT
Southeast: NC, SC, TN, KY, GA, AL, FL, MS, PR, VI
North Central: OH, IN, IL, MI, WI, MN, IA, ND, SD
Southwest: TX, LA, NM, OK, AR, MO, KS, CO, NE, WY
West: CA, AZ, NV, OR, WA, UT, ID, MT, HI, AK, GU

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