mortgage rates – News Stories About mortgage rates - Page 1

Americans Have
Some Big Housing
Misconceptions

Jan 25, 2023 4:09 PM CST

Americans Have Some Big Housing Misconceptions

Mortgage rates aren't historically high, for one

(Newser) - The housing market isn't great, but neither is Americans' understanding of it. So finds a NerdWallet survey released Tuesday. Three standout findings from the survey:

About 11% of respondents, which NerdWallet equates to 28 million American adults, say they intend to buy a home over the next 12 months.

...

For First Time in 20 Years, Mortgage Rates Start With a 7

For Buyers, Mortgage Rates
Hit Unwelcome Milestone

Oct 27, 2022 9:35 AM CDT

For Buyers, Mortgage Rates Hit Unwelcome Milestone

Average 30-year rate is now 7% for the first time in 2 decades

(Newser) - Average long-term US mortgage rates topped 7% for the first time in more than two decades this week, a direct result of the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes intended to tame inflation not seen in some 40 years, per the AP . Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported on Thursday that...

Home Sales in US
Slow to 2012 Pace

Oct 20, 2022 4:50 PM CDT

Home Sales in US Slow to 2012 Pace

Totals drop for 8th straight month

(Newser) - Sales of previously occupied US homes fell in September for the eighth month in a row, matching the pre-pandemic sales pace from 10 years ago, as house hunters grappled with sharply higher mortgage rates, rising home prices, and a still tight supply of properties on the market. The National Association...

For 6th Straight Week,
US Mortgage Rates Rise

Sep 29, 2022 2:15 PM CDT

For 6th Straight Week, US Mortgage Rates Rise

The average on the key 30-year rate currently stands at 6.7%

(Newser) - Average long-term US mortgage rates rose this week for the sixth straight week, marking new highs not seen in 15 years, before a crash in the housing market triggered the Great Recession. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the key 30-year rate climbed to 6.70%...

Mortgage Rates Reach
an Unwanted Milestone

Sep 15, 2022 10:11 AM CDT

Mortgage Rates Reach an Unwanted Milestone

Average rate hits 6% for the first time since 2008

(Newser) - Someone who closes on a house this month will be paying twice the mortgage rate of a year ago. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reached 6% this week for the first time since the recession days of 2008, reports the New York Times . That's up from...

Mortgage Rates Hit 2008 Levels

Sep 8, 2022 4:50 PM CDT

Mortgage Rates Hit 2008 Levels

Climb is tied to Powell's stay-the-course comment, analyst says

(Newser) - A year ago, mortgage rates were below 3%. On Thursday, Freddie Mac data showed the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was up to 5.89%, the highest point since 2008, NBC News reports. Rates briefly dropped this summer as the Federal Reserve raised the key interest rate in...

Mortgage Demand
Hits 22-Year Low

Jul 20, 2022 10:50 AM CDT

Mortgage Demand Hits 22-Year Low

The real estate market is cooling amid high rates, high inflation, high prices

(Newser) - While heat waves and wildfires have dominated recent headlines, there’s a major cooling trend in the US housing market. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's weekly survey, mortgage applications dropped a seasonally adjusted 6.3% last week, per CNBC. That puts mortgage demand at its lowest point since...

Mortgage Rates
Highest in a Decade

Apr 21, 2022 12:27 PM CDT

Mortgage Rates Highest in a Decade

30-year is now 5.21%, and the effects on housing market already are surfacing

(Newser) - The news won't come as a shock to those currently in the market to buy a house and calculating their monthly expenses—mortgage rates have reached a 12-year high. CNN puts the rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage at 5.11% for the week ending Thursday, the highest since...

Rising Mortgage Rates Throw
Complicated Wrench in Market

Apr 8, 2022 12:04 PM CDT

Rising Mortgage Rates Throw Complicated Wrench in Market

They make it more expensive to buy but also could lead to lower prices

(Newser) - Mortgage rates on a 30-year loan just clocked in at 4.72%, the highest since 2018, reports the Wall Street Journal . That's up from 3% last summer, which translates into a quite a dent in prospective homeowners' wallets, notes NPR . "It added like $700 a month in monthly...

US Mortgage Rate Hits
'Tremendous Benchmark'

Jul 16, 2020 2:50 PM CDT

US Mortgage Rate Hits 'Tremendous Benchmark'

'It's also an indication that we remain in a crisis here,' says an economist at Zillow Group Inc

(Newser) - Looking to buy a house? The average 30-year fixed mortgage has sunk below 3% for the first time in Freddie Mac's long history of tracking America's most beloved home loan, the Wall Street Journal reports. It's a "tremendous benchmark," says a Zillow Group Inc economist...

Home Prices See
Biggest Jump
Since 2005

Aug 8, 2012 4:01 AM CDT

Home Prices See Biggest Jump Since 2005

Growing shortage sends prices upward

(Newser) - House prices had their biggest jump in years in the second quarter of 2012, mainly because of a big shortage of houses for sale, reports the Wall Street Journal . Officials from data firm CoreLogic say it was the biggest jump since 2005, while Freddie Mac, using different methodology, says the...

Zuckerberg's Mortgage
a 1% Special

Jul 17, 2012 12:50 PM CDT

Zuckerberg's Mortgage a 1% Special

Loan illustrates benefits of wealth

(Newser) - The mortgage on Mark Zuckerberg's new $5.95 million abode brings whole new meaning to the term, "1%." For starters, that's roughly the rate Zuckerberg is paying—it's adjustable rate, but it's starting at just 1.05%. It's also the kind of loan...

Trying to Refinance?
Take a Number

May 9, 2012 10:44 AM CDT

Trying to Refinance? Take a Number

With fewer banks, mortgage refinancing taking forver

(Newser) - Mortgage rates have been plummeting—they were at just 4.05% last month—and that, combined with Obama administration initiatives, has a lot of homeowners clamoring to refinance. There's just one problem: A lot of homeowners are clamoring to refinance. The financial crisis left fewer banks standing in the...

Mortgage Rates Drop
Below 4% for First Time

Oct 6, 2011 11:35 AM CDT

Mortgage Rates Drop Below 4% for First Time

30-year fixed loans hit historic low

(Newser) - The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage this week fell below 4% for the first time ever, to 3.94%. And mortgage rates could fall even further now that the Federal Reserve plans to reshuffle its portfolio of securities to try and lower long-term rates. Freddie Mac said the...

US May Let Millions
Refinance at 4%

Aug 25, 2011 9:51 AM CDT

US May Let Millions Refinance at 4%

Proposal could save homeowners $85B annually

(Newser) - Help could be on the way for struggling homeowners with government-backed mortgages: The Obama administration is considering a proposal that would allow such homeowners to refinance their mortgages at today's interest rates, which hover around a low 4%. Many homeowners can’t currently refinance because they owe more than...

White House: Let's Kill Fannie, Freddie

Feb 9, 2011 7:11 AM CST

White House: Let's Kill Fannie, Freddie

Obama administration wants to get out of the mortgage market

(Newser) - The Obama administration will propose dissolving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reducing the federal government’s role in the mortgage market, sources tell the Wall Street Journal . The White House is set to release three plans for moving forward without the government-owned mortgage giants, which originated nine out of...

Bernanke's
Rationale
Looks
Too Rosy

OPINION

Nov 4, 2010 12:25 PM CDT

Bernanke's Rationale Looks Too Rosy

Felix Salmon isn't thrilled with Fed chief's op-ed

(Newser) - The Fed's controversial plan to buy $600 billion worth of Treasuries to stimulate growth has brought the phrase "quantitative easing" out from the obscurity of financial blogs. Will it work? Two columns today on the subject from Ben Bernanke himself in the Washington Post and Felix Salmon at Reuters...

Now's the Time to
Buy a New Home

analysis

Dec 29, 2009 5:35 PM CST

Now's the Time to Buy a New Home

Prices and mortgage rates are down—a 'winning combination'

(Newser) - Today's new stats on housing prices yield one shakable fact amid tons of useless information: If you’re in the market for a house, this could be your moment. “Homes are now cheap,” writes Brett Arends. The combination of a 30% drop in home prices since 2005 and...

Home Sales Take Biggest Jump in 8 Years

Jul 27, 2009 9:36 AM CDT

Home Sales Take Biggest Jump in 8 Years

(Newser) - New home sales jumped 11% in June, the biggest gain in eight years, the Commerce Department announced today, as the supply fell to its lowest level in more than a decade. With mortgage rates and prices staggeringly low—the median home price fell 12%—buyers came out of the woodwork....

Burgeoning Interest Rates Threaten to Stifle Recovery

Jun 11, 2009 7:30 AM CDT

Burgeoning Interest Rates Threaten to Stifle Recovery

Demand for refinancing shrivels as 30-year rates hit 5.75%

(Newser) - The steady rise in interest rates over recent weeks is threatening to trample the green shoots of recovery in the housing market, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rates on 30-year mortgages hit 5.79% yesterday, more than a point above the 4.75% "trigger" level analysts say spurred the...