Federal Housing Finance Agency Reports Mortgage Interest Rates

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Washington, DC – December 28, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — The Federal Housing Finance Agency today reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some ARM contracts, was 4.42 percent based on loans closed in November. This is a decrease of 0.07 percent from the previous month. This Contract Rate series can be found at http://www.fhfa.gov/Default.aspx?Page=251.

The average interest rate on conventional, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loans of $417,000 or less decreased 12 basis points to 4.38 percent in November. These rates are calculated from the FHFA’s Monthly Interest Rate Survey (MIRS) of purchase-money mortgages. These results reflect loans closed during the Nov. 23-30 period. Typically, the interest rate is determined 30 to 45 days before the loan is closed. Thus, the reported rates depict market conditions prevailing in mid- to late-October.

The contract rate on the composite of all mortgage loans (fixed- and adjustable-rate) was 4.35 percent in November, down 9 basis points from 4.44 percent in October. The effective interest rate, which reflects the amortization of initial fees and charges, was 4.46 percent in November, down 11 basis points from 4.57 percent in October.

This report contains no data on adjustable-rate mortgages due to insufficient sample size. Initial fees and charges were 0.80 percent of the loan balance in November, down 0.07 percent from 0.87 in October. Twenty-eight percent of the purchase-money mortgage loans originated in November were “no-point” mortgages, down from 33 percent in October. The average term was 28.1 years in November, up 0.1 years from 28.0 years in October. The average loan-to-price ratio in November was 74.8 percent, up 2.6 percent from 72.2 percent in October. The average loan amount was $214,800 in November, down $200 from $215,000 in October.

Recorded information on this index is available by calling (202) 408-2940. For technical questions on this index, please call David Roderer at (202) 408-2540. The December index value will be announced on Jan. 27, 2011.

Technical note: The data are based on a monthly survey of major lenders that are asked to report the terms and conditions on all conventional, single-family, fully amortized, purchase-money loans closed the last five working days of the month. The data thus exclude FHA-insured and VAguaranteed mortgages, refinancing loans, and balloon loans. This month’s data are based on 3,943 reported loans from 34 lenders, representing savings associations, mortgage companies, commercial banks, and mutual savings banks. The effective interest rate includes the amortization of initial fees and charges over a 10-year period, which is the historical assumption of the average life of a mortgage loan. The data are weighted to reflect the shares of mortgage lending by lender size and lender type as reported in the latest release of the Federal Reserve Board’s Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data.

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The Federal Housing Finance Agency regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks. These government-sponsored enterprises provide more than 5.9 trillion in funding for the U.S. mortgage markets and financial institutions.

Contact:
Corinne Russell (202) 414-6921
Stefanie Johnson (202) 414-6376

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