30 Year Rates Fall Below 3.50 as 548,000 Homes Regain Equity

Average 30 year mortgage rates increased last week to 3.51 percent, the first time in almost 3 months that rates were above 3.50 percent. The increase was short lived as 30 year mortgage rates fell to 3.49 percent this week. We expect 30 year mortgage rates to stay below 3.50 percent in the interim unless the Federal Reserve increases the fed funds rate this week.

As of September 18, the CME Group's FedWatch Tool has put the probability of a rate hike at only 12 percent. Since it's very unlikely the Fed will increase the fed funds rate, average mortgage rates will mostly fall from current levels this week.

Mortgage rates are indirectly tied to the federal funds rate. As the Federal Reserve raises or lowers the fed funds rate, bond yields usually follow higher or lower. Mortgage lenders set the rate they offer based on 10 year bond yields. As bond yields fall, lenders lower their rates and vice versa.

Loan Type

Purchase Refinance with Cash out Refinance

State

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District Of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

FICO Score

Superior (780-850) Exceptional (760-779) Excellent (740-759) Very Good (720-739) Good (700-719) Above Average (680-699) Average (660-679) Fair (640-659) Need Improvement (620-639) Poor (350-620)

Loan Amount

$

Points

Up to 0 points Up to 0.5 points Up to 1 points Up to 1.5 points Up to 2 points Up to 2.5 points Up to 3 points

LTV

%

Loan Term

 15-Year Fixed  20-Year Fixed  30-Year Fixed  5-Year ARM  7-Year ARM  10-Year ARM

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The lenders whose rates and other terms appear on this chart are ICB's advertising partners. They provide their rate information to our data partner RateUpdate.com. Unless adjusted by the consumer, advertisers are sorted by APR from lowest to highest. For any advertising partners that do not provide their rate they are listed in advertisement display units at the bottom of the chart. Advertising partners may not pay to improve the frequency priority or prominence of their display. The interest rates, annual percentage rates and other terms advertised here are estimates provided by those advertising partners based on the information you entered above and do not bind. Any lender Monthly payment amounts stated do not include amounts for taxes and insurance premiums. The actual payment obligation will be greater if taxes and insurance are included. Although our data partner RateUpdate.com collects the information from the financial institutions themselves, the accuracy of the data cannot be guaranteed. Rates may change without notice and can change intraday. Some of the information contained in the rate tables including but not limited to special marketing notes is provided directly by the lenders. Please verify the rates and offers before applying for a loan with the financial institution themselves. No rate is binding until locked by a lender.

Lender

APR / Rate

Fees / Points

Payment

NMLS #2641203

5.523%

15-Year Fixed

5.375%

$3,876

Includes 0.969 points for $3,876

Lender Fees: $0

$3,242 /mo

Next >

NMLS #401822

5.554%

15-Year Fixed

5.250%

$8,000

Includes 1.000 points for $4,000

Lender Fees: $4,000

$3,216 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1025894

5.667%

15-Year Fixed

5.490%

$4,600

Includes 0.975 points for $3,900

Lender Fees: $700

$3,267 /mo

Next >

NMLS #6606

5.904%

15-Year Fixed

5.750%

$3,976

Includes 0.994 points for $3,976

Lender Fees: $0

$3,322 /mo

Next >

NMLS #2641203

6.701%

30-Year Fixed

6.625%

$3,128

Includes 0.782 points for $3,128

Lender Fees: $0

$2,562 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1025894

6.720%

30-Year Fixed

6.625%

$3,916

Includes 0.804 points for $3,216

Lender Fees: $700

$2,562 /mo

Next >

NMLS #6606

6.844%

30-Year Fixed

6.750%

$3,880

Includes 0.970 points for $3,880

Lender Fees: $0

$2,595 /mo

Next >

NMLS #3030

6.869%

15-Year Fixed

6.750%

$3,000

Includes 0.750 points for $3,000

Lender Fees: $0

$3,540 /mo

Next >

NMLS #401822

6.884%

30-Year Fixed

6.750%

$5,495

Includes 0.875 points for $3,500

Lender Fees: $1,995

$2,595 /mo

Next >

NMLS #3030

7.589%

30-Year Fixed

7.500%

$3,500

Includes 0.875 points for $3,500

Lender Fees: $0

$2,797 /mo

Next >

Rate data provided by RateUpdate.com. Displayed by ICB, a division of Mortgage Research Center, NMLS #1907, Equal Housing Opportunity. Payments do not include taxes and insurance premiums. Actual payments will be greater with taxes and insurance included. Rate and product details.

Mortgage rates are just above record lows. Locking in a lower rate before they climb can save you thousands of dollars over the life of your loan. If you haven't already taken advantage of these near-record low rates, you should consider refinancing. Even if you tried before, refinancing may now be an option since home prices are on the uptick and you may have more equity in your home. 

Core Logic (NYSE: CLGX), reported 548,000 homes regained equity in the second quarter of 2016 compared to the previous quarter. The percentage of homes with positive equity increased to 92.9 percent of all mortgaged properties, or approximately 47.2 million homes.

Unfortunately, there are still 3.6 million homes with a mortgage of negative equity, or 7.1 percent of all mortgage properties. Negative equity is when the mortgage(s) on the property are higher than the home's value. The number of homes with negative equity is declining sharply.  In the first quarter of 2016, the number of homes with negative equity stood at 4.2 million homes.

The only way to find out if your home has increased enough in value to refinance your loan is to get an appraisal. Before you take on the cost of an appraisal, consider whether or not refinancing makes sense for you. If you can get a refinance rate of at least 1.00 percent lower than your current rate and you plan to stay in your home for 3 years or more, refinancing is likely a good option.

You can see a list of refinance rates from many different lenders by using our mortgage rate tables at MonitorBankRates.com. Unlike most websites, you don't have to provide any personal information or contact information to see a list of rates.