Bankrate: Mortgage Rates Remain in Holding Pattern

NEW YORK, July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Mortgage rates were little changed this week, extending the recent trend. The benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate held at 4.28 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.29 discount and origination points.

To see mortgage rates in your area, go to http://www.bankrate.com/funnel/mortgages/.

The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate ticked lower to 3.40 percent, while the larger jumbo 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased to 4.39 percent. Adjustable rate mortgages were slightly higher, with the 3-year ARM rising to 3.25 percent and the 5-year ARM inching up to 3.38 percent.      

Mortgage rates continue to hover, showing very little movement one way or another. The benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rates has fluctuated within a very narrow range -- one-tenth of a percentage point – since mid-May as investors come to grips with the idea the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady into 2015. But as history has shown, these prolonged periods of stability in bond yields and mortgage rates often end suddenly, with a significant bout of volatility. Mortgage rates are closely related to yields on long-term government debt.

As 2013 came to a close, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 4.69 percent. At that time, a $200,000 loan would have carried a monthly payment of $1,036.07. Mortgage rates have moved lower thus far in 2014, and with the average rate now 4.28 percent, the monthly payment for the same size loan would be $987.40, a savings of $48 per month for anyone that waited.

SURVEY RESULTS

30-year fixed: 4.28% -- unchanged from last week (avg. points: 0.29)

15-year fixed: 3.40% -- down from 3.41% last week (avg. points: 0.2)

5/1 ARM: 3.38% -- up from 3.37% last week (avg. points: 0.19)

Bankrate's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.

For a full analysis of this week's move in mortgage rates, go to http://www.bankrate.com/mortgagerates

The survey is complemented by Bankrate's weekly Rate Trend Index, in which a panel of mortgage experts predicts which way the rates are headed over the next seven days. According to the panelists, rates aren't headed much of anywhere. A vast majority of the panelists – 82 percent - expect mortgage rates to remain more or less unchanged over the coming week. Just 18 percent predict mortgage rates will rise. Interestingly, none of this week's respondents forecast a decline in mortgage rates over the next seven days.

For the full mortgage Rate Trend Index, go to http://www.bankrate.com/news/rate-trends/mortgage.aspx

About Bankrate, Inc.

Bankrate is a leading publisher, aggregator, and distributor of personal finance content on the Internet. Bankrate provides consumers with proprietary, fully researched, comprehensive, independent and objective personal finance editorial content across multiple vertical categories including mortgages, deposits, insurance, credit cards, and other categories, such as retirement, automobile loans, and taxes. The Bankrate network includes Bankrate.com, CreditCards.com and InsuranceQuotes.com, our flagship websites, and other owned and operated personal finance websites, including Caring.com, Interest.com, Bankaholic.com, Mortgage-calc.com, CreditCardGuide.com, Nationwide Card Services, CarInsuranceQuotes.com, InsureMe, CreditCards.ca, and NetQuote.com. Bankrate aggregates rate information from over 4,800 institutions on more than 300 financial products. With coverage of nearly 600 local markets in all 50 U.S. states, Bankrate generates over 172,000 distinct rate tables capturing on average over three million pieces of information daily. Bankrate develops and provides web services to over 80 co-branded websites with online partners, including some of the most trusted and frequently visited personal finance sites on the Internet such as Yahoo!, AOL, CNBC, and Bloomberg. In addition, Bankrate licenses editorial content to over 500 newspapers on a daily basis including , USA Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe.

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For more information contact:

Kayleen YatesSenior Director, Corporate Communications
kyates@bankrate.com
(917) 368-8677

SOURCE Bankrate, Inc.