How Are Mortgage Rates Determined?

By Ernest Stillman

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you'll find that the subject of how mortgage rates are determined is certainly no exception.

Mortgage rates are considered to be very crucial as they include the calculation of the overall interest and the number of years for which the person is supposed to pay. In fact, the mortgage system is actually centered on this concept. Mortgage rates are watched closely by those who regard them as the rudder to the housing market. Mortgage rates for a 15 year loan increased from 4.82 percent in the middle of May 2009 to 5.25 percent just one month later. Thirty-year mortgage rates increased from 4.86 percent to 5.72 percent during the same period.

Lenders frequently charge 1%, but you can always negotiate the mortgage rate origination fee lower. Also, if the origination fee is much higher than 1% you need to either negotiate it down, or find another lender with a more favourable overall mortgage rate. Lenders and servicers alike appear to be understaffed and the current staff are improperly and poorly trained to get the job done.

The more authentic information about fixed mortgage rates you know, the more likely people are to consider you mortgage rate expert. Read on for even more facts to compare fixed mortgage rates that you can share.

Mortgage rates improved this week over last according to Freddie Mac. In their weekly survey of mortgage rates, the average interest rate offered declined approximately 0.125% for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, for a rate of 5.20%.

Interest rates may also fall, however, in which case the rate you lock in will be higher than the rate you could otherwise get. Under certain circumstances you can back out of a locked-in rate, but to be safe you generally only want to lock in a rate if interest rates may rise. Interesting to note is Paulson had not commented on the rumours of a mandated 4.5 percent mortgage rate program in the almost two weeks that they had circulated in major news outlets. Ironically, hours after the Fed announcement on the federal funds rate reduction, Paulson walked out into the spotlight and denied the rumours. Interest is deductible - service fees are not.

Lenders who win the bid value their potential customer more and are more often willing to offer a much better product with greater incentives and lower rates. You have more options in choosing the loan that's best for you. Lenders won't portfolio 30 year fixed loans, they will only sell them to Fannie, but they'll do 5/1 ARMs all day.

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you'll be glad you took the time to learn more about how to compare fixed mortgage rates. - 31387

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