Mortgage rates still breaking record lows

Mortgage rates, nearly across the board, reached record lows again for the week ending Sept. 23. The Freddie Mac weekly survey showed the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reached 4.32% with an average 0.8 point, down to its all-time low from 4.37% last week. Last year, at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 62 basis points higher. The 15-year FRM reached a new record low at 3.75% with an average 0.7 point, down from 3.82% last week and 4.36% a year ago. The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 3.52% with an average 0.6 point, down from 3.54% last week. And the 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.48% with an average 0.7 point, the only rate to increase from last week at 3.46%. “Confidence in the state of the economy fell among consumers and businesses, which led to a decline in long-term bond yields and brought many mortgage rates to record lows this week,” said Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist at Freddie. The weekly Bankrate survey of large banks and thrifts showed the average 30-year FRM at 4.5%, unchanged from last week. New record lows came for the 15-year FRM, which fell 2 bps to 3.94%, and the 30-year FRM jumbo loan that dropped to 5.16%. Write to Jon Prior.