Long-Term Mortgage Rates Drop Again to 4.84%, Lowest Level This Year

---

According to Freddie Mac's (NYSE:FRE) newly released Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.84 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending May 20, 2010. This is down from last week when it averaged 4.93 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.82 percent. Once again, the 30-year FRM has not been lower since the week ending December 10, 2009, when it averaged 4.81 percent.

The 15-year FRM this week averaged 4.24 percent with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 4.30 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 4.50 percent. The 15-year FRM has not been lower since Freddie Mac started tracking the 15-year FRM in August of 1991.

The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.91 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.95 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 4.79 percent. This breaks last week's record and, again, the 5-year ARM has not been lower since Freddie Mac started tracking the 5-year ARM in January of 2005.

The 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 4.00 percent this week with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 4.02 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 4.82 percent. The 1-year ARM has not been lower since the week ending October 28, 2004 when it averaged 3.96 percent.

"Mortgage rates eased back once again this week to the lowest level of the year," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist. "Low mortgage rates, coupled with the homebuyer tax credit, helped strengthen the housing market in the first four months of the year. New construction on one-family homes rose for the fourth consecutive month in April to an annualized rate of nearly 0.6 million units and represented the strongest pace since August 2008. Three of the four Census regions showed increases, led by a 14.8 percent jump in the South.

"Moreover, homebuilder confidence rose for the second straight month in May to the highest level since August 2007, according the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation's residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Over the years, Freddie Mac has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and more than five million renters.



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

---