
According to Freddie Mac, the rates on 30-year fixed mortgages slightly increased this week, inching above 5 percent.
The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.01 percent this week, which is up from 4.98 percent last week. Last year at this time, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.25 percent.
Rates chopped down to a record low of 4.71 percent set in early December. They have been held around 5 percent by a Federal Reserve program to pump $1.25 trillion into mortgage-backed securities to try to keep rates low and make home buying more affordable. That program is set to end March 31.
The average rate on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages slightly increased to 4.40 percent from 4.39 percent last week, according to Freddie Mac.
Rates on five-year, adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 4.27 percent, up from 4.25 percent a week earlier. Rates on one-year, adjustable-rate mortgages dropped to 4.22 percent from 4.29 percent.
The rates do not include add-on fees known as points. The nationwide fee for loans in Freddie Mac’s survey averaged 0.7 point for 30-year and 15-year mortgages. It averaged 0.6 point for five-year loans and 0.5 point for one-year loans.

