Long-term mortgage rates hit historic lows in the week ending Thursday, the U.S. Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. said.
Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB)
said the average interest rates for 30-year, fixed-rate loans fell
under 4 percent for the first time, dropping to 3.94 percent with an
average of 0.8 points for the week.
A week earlier, the rate hovered just above 4 percent at 4.01
percent. A year ago during the same week of the year, the rates averaged
4.27 percent.
For 15-year loans, the rate dropped to a historic low for the sixth
consecutive week, dropping to 3.26 percent, down from 3.28 percent last
week and from 3.72 percent a year earlier.
Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's vice
president and chief economist, said long-term rates fell as the U.S.
Federal Reserve began a program of replacing $400 billion in short-term
treasury securities with long-term bonds, a plan designed to push
long-term rates lower.