Thursday, July 12, 2007

Primary Mortgage Market Survey Released by Freddie Mac

McLean, Virginia

July 5, 2007

Freddie Mac

Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.63 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending July 3, 2007, down from last week when it averaged 6.67 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.79 percent. The 15-year FRM this week averaged 6.30 percent with an average 0.4 point, down from last week when it averaged 6.34 percent. A year ago, the 15-year FRM averaged 6.44 percent.


Five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) averaged 6.29 percent this week, with an average 0.4 point, down from last week when it averaged 6.30 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 6.39 percent. One-year Treasury-indexed ARMs averaged 5.71 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, up from last week when it averaged 5.65 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 5.83 percent. (Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total cost of obtaining the mortgage.)

"Long-term mortgage rates continued to move lower for a third consecutive week, in part reflecting a moderation in core inflation," said Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist."

"In the statement accompanying their decision to leave the target federal funds rate unchanged, the Fed noted that core inflation had declined recently, though a 'sustained' moderation is still to be seen, and signaled that inflation risk continues to figure prominently in their policy decisions." "Helping to ease some inflation concerns, May's personal consumption expenditures report found that the core price measure had increased 1.9 percent for the year ending in May, within the 1 percent to 2 percent range with which the Fed is comfortable, and the lowest year-over-year rise in more than 3 years."

Freddie Mac is a stockholder-owned company established by Congress in 1970 to support homeownership and rental housing. Freddie Mac fulfills its mission by purchasing residential mortgages and mortgage-related securities, which it finances primarily by issuing mortgage-related securities and debt instruments in the capital markets. Over the years, Freddie Mac has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and more than four million renters in America.