FHFA: Mortgage interest rates continue to fall

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) contracts, was 3.66 percent based on loans closed in July. Beginning in March, FHFA is calculating interest rates using un-weighted survey data. There was a decrease of 0.01 percent from the previous month. View the complete contract rate series at FHFA.gov by clicking here.
The average interest rate on conventional, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage loans of $417,000 or less decreased 4 basis points to 3.84 in July. These rates are calculated from the FHFA’s Monthly Interest Rate Survey of purchase-money mortgages (see technical note). These results reflect loans closed during the July 25 - 31 period. Typically, the interest rate is determined 30 to 45 days before the loan is closed. Thus, the reported rates depict market conditions prevailing in mid- to late-June.

The contract rate on the composite of all mortgage loans (fixed- and adjustable-rate) was 3.65 percent in July, down 2 basis points from 3.67 percent in June. The effective interest rate, which reflects the amortization of initial fees and charges, was 3.78 percent in July, down 3 basis points from 3.81 percent in June. This report contains no data on adjustable-rate mortgages due to insufficient sample size.

Initial fees and charges were 0.95 percent of the loan balance in July, down 12 basis points from June. Twenty percent of the purchase-money mortgage loans originated in July were "no-point" mortgages, up three percent from the share in June. The average term was 27.5 years in July, unchanged from June. The average loan-to-price ratio in July was 76.1 percent, up 0.5 percent from 75.6 percent in June. The average loan amount was $258,900 in July, down $4,300 from $263,200 in June.

View the FHFA press release at FHFA.gov by clicking here.