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Rates on 30-year mortgages took a dive Wednesday, dropping almost two-tenths of a point to slip back under the notable 6% threshold they breached on June 13. Averages in the 6% range hadn’t previously been seen since 2008.
Today’s National Mortgage Rate Averages
Almost every mortgage average was down Wednesday, including an 18-point drop among 30-year rates. Now at 5.96%, the average has exited the 6% range for the first time in ten days, and sits notably under its recent peak of 6.38%. Until this month, 30-year rates hadn’t breached 6% in almost 14 years.
The 15-year average similarly shed 14 basis points Wednesday, dropping to 5.24%. Like 30-year loans, 15-year rates reached their highest level since 2008 last week, when they averaged 5.41%.
Jumbo 30-year rates also sank, declining 13 points to 5.19%. Still, until last week, the Jumbo 30-year average hadn’t exceed 5% since 2011.
After a major rate dip last summer, mortgage averages had skyrocketed through early May, but then eased lower for the remainder of the month. Now June has spiked the 30-year average an eye-popping 3.07 percentage points above its August 2021 low point of 2.89%.
Meanwhile, the 15-year and Jumbo 30-year averages are currently 3.03 and 2.13 percentage points higher, respectively, than their summer 2021 valleys.
Wednesday’s averages on refinancing loans moved somewhat similarly, with the 30-year refi average down 21 points, the 15-year average losing 19 points, and Jumbo 30-year refi rates dropping a less dramatic 12 points. The cost to refinance with a fixed-rate loan is currently nine to 31 points more expensive than new purchase loans.
Important:
The rates you see here generally won’t compare directly with teaser rates you see advertised online, since those rates are cherry-picked as the most attractive. They may involve paying points in advance, or may be selected based on a hypothetical borrower with an ultra-high credit score or taking a smaller-than-typical loan given the value of the home.
Calculate monthly payments for different loan scenarios with our Mortgage Calculator.
Lowest Mortgage Rates by State
The lowest mortgage rates available vary depending on the state where originations occur. Mortgage rates can be influenced by state-level variations in credit score, average mortgage loan term, and size, as well as individual lenders’ varying risk management strategies.
These rates are surveyed directly from over 200 top lenders.
What Causes Mortgage Rates to Rise or Fall?
Mortgage rates are determined by a complex interaction of macroeconomic and industry factors, such as the level and direction of the bond market, including 10-year Treasury yields; the Federal Reserve’s current monetary policy, especially as it relates to funding government-backed mortgages; and competition between lenders and across loan types. Because fluctuations can be caused by any number of these at once, it’s generally difficult to attribute the change to any one factor.
Macroeconomic factors have kept the mortgage market relatively low for much of this year. In particular, the Federal Reserve has been buying billions of dollars of bonds in response to the pandemic’s economic pressures, and continues to do so. This bond-buying policy (and not the more publicized federal funds rate) is a major influencer on mortgage rates.
On May 4, the Fed announced that it will begin reducing its balance sheet on June 1. Identical sizable reductions will occur in June, July, and August, and then be doubled beginning in September. This will be on top of its existing move to reduce new bond purchases by an increment every month, the so-called taper, which began in November.
The Fed’s rate and policy committee, called the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), meets every 6-8 weeks. Their next scheduled meeting takes place July 26-27.
Methodology
The national averages cited above were calculated based on the lowest rate offered by more than 200 of the country’s top lenders, assuming a loan-to-value ratio (LTV) of 80% and an applicant with a FICO credit score in the 700-760 range. The resulting rates are representative of what customers should expect to see when receiving actual quotes from lenders based on their qualifications, which may vary from advertised teaser rates.
For our map of the best state rates, the lowest rate currently offered by a surveyed lender in that state is listed, assuming the same parameters of an 80% LTV and a credit score between 700-760.