Mortgage rates continued to drift higher this week, according to the latest survey from Freddie Mac, which reported Thursday that the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate loan was 5.03%.
That was up from a flat 5% a week earlier and from an all-time low of 4.87% in the week that ended Oct. 8. The surveys assumed that borrowers with good credit were making a down payment of at least 20%. Borrowers this month have paid on average 0.7% of the loan amount in upfront charges.
Rates on shorter-term fixed-rate mortgages and adjustable-rate loans also rose. For 15-year fixed-rate loans, often used by borrowers seeking to pay off their mortgages faster, the rate this week averaged 4.46% with 0.6% of the balance paid in lender fees and points, up from 4.43% with similar upfront costs last week.
For the full year, 30-year fixed rates have averaged just below 5% thanks to intervention by the government, triggering a refinancing boom. Seven of every 10 mortgages this year have been refinancings.
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