30-year mortgage rates drop for 3rd week to 5.14%

7/17/2009

McCLEAN, Va. Rates for 30-year home loans dropped for the third-straight week, inching toward a record low reached earlier this year, Freddie Mac said yesterday.

The average rate for 30-year fixed mortgages was 5.14 percent this week, down from 5.2 percent last week. Last year at this time, the average rate for a 30-year mortgage averaged 6.26 percent, Freddie Mac said.

This week, the average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 4.63 percent, down from 4.69 percent last week, according to Freddie Mac. Average rates on five-year, adjustable-rate mortgages were 4.83 percent, up just a bit from 4.82 percent a week earlier.