Mortgage rates were back on the rise this week, increasing to their second highest level this year. The move follows the Federal Reserve’s vote on Wednesday
to raise its federal fund rate by 25 basis points.
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage followed suit, rising eight basis points to average 4.62 percent during the week, Freddie Mac reports.
“The good news is that the impact on consumer budgets will be smaller than past rate hike cycles,” says Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist Sam Khater. “That is because a much smaller segment of mortgage loans in today’s market are pegged to short-term rate movements. The adjustable rate mortgage share of outstanding loans is a lot smaller now—8 percent versus 31 percent—than during the Fed’s last round of tightening between 2004 and 2006. Still, inflation continues to firm and borrowing costs are inching higher. Although wages are slowly growing, stronger gains would certainly go a long way in helping consumers offset these increases in prices and rates.”
Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending June 14:
- 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 4.62 percent, with an average 0.4 point, up from last week’s 4.54 percent average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 3.91 percent.
- 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 4.07 percent, with an average 0.4 point, rising from last week’s 4.01 percent average. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 3.18 percent.
- 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 3.83 percent, with an average 0.3 point, rising from last week’s 3.74 percent average. A year ago, 5-year ARMs averaged 3.15 percent.
Source: Freddie Mac
