Low Mortgage Rates Today and Two Earnings Reports Point to the End of the Housing Bust

Record low mortgage rates today have helped the housing market recover from the worst bust since the Great Depression. Two positive quarterly earnings reports from the government-controlled mortgage finance giants, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, lend optimism that we have seen the end of home price declines.

Second quarter income at Fannie Mae (OBB: FNMA) was $5.1 billion, up from $2.7 billion in the first quarter of this year. A big improvement when Fannie Mae posted a loss of $2.9 billion in the second quarter of last year.

Freddie Mac (OBB: FMCC), announced second-quarter net income of $3 billion, up from $577 million in the first quarter and a net loss of $2.1 billion in the year-ago second quarter. Both government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) reported their best quarter earnings since the housing market collapse.

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 #1283930

License: 01970483

5.445%

15-Year Fixed

5.250%

$5,125

Includes 1.000 points for $4,000

Lender Fees: $1,125

$3,216 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1838

5.455%

15-Year Fixed

5.250%

$5,395

Includes 0.974 points for $3,896

Lender Fees: $1,499

$3,216 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1025894

5.548%

15-Year Fixed

5.375%

$4,512

Includes 0.953 points for $3,812

Lender Fees: $700

$3,242 /mo

Next >

NMLS #401822

6.039%

15-Year Fixed

5.750%

$7,500

Includes 0.875 points for $3,500

Lender Fees: $4,000

$3,322 /mo

Next >

NMLS #3030

6.146%

15-Year Fixed

5.990%

$4,000

Includes 1.000 points for $4,000

Lender Fees: $0

$3,374 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1838

6.231%

30-Year Fixed

6.125%

$4,535

Includes 0.759 points for $3,036

Lender Fees: $1,499

$2,431 /mo

Next >

NMLS #401822

6.289%

30-Year Fixed

6.125%

$7,000

Includes 0.750 points for $3,000

Lender Fees: $4,000

$2,431 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1283930

License: 01970483

6.347%

30-Year Fixed

6.250%

$4,125

Includes 0.750 points for $3,000

Lender Fees: $1,125

$2,463 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1025894

6.477%

30-Year Fixed

6.375%

$4,284

Includes 0.896 points for $3,584

Lender Fees: $700

$2,496 /mo

Next >

NMLS #3030

6.949%

30-Year Fixed

6.875%

$3,000

Includes 0.750 points for $3,000

Lender Fees: $0

$2,628 /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.

Home prices have stabilized and increased in many parts of the country the past year. CoreLogic said that home prices rose 2.5 percent in June compared with a year ago.

Record low mortgage rates and the sharp decline in home prices over the past several years have made homes more affordable then ever. The National Association of Realtors' Housing Affordability Index hit a record high of 205.9 in first quarter.

Record low refinance rates have brought a surge in home loan refinancing. Two weeks ago 30 year refinance rates hit a record low of 3.49 percent and 15 year refi rates hit a low of 2.96 percent.

If you're thinking about buying a home or refinancing a mortgage you should act now. Today's mortgage rates are so low and probably will be heading higher in the coming years. Current mortgage rates on 30 year loans are already up 20 basis points from record lows set two weeks ago.