Bankrate: Mortgage Rates Rise Following Taper Announcement

NEW YORK, Dec. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mortgage rates increased for a second consecutive week, with the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate moving up to 4.63 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.41 discount and origination points.

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To see mortgage rates in your area, go to http://www.bankrate.com/funnel/mortgages/

The average 15-year fixed mortgage climbed to 3.7 percent, while the larger jumbo 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 4.67 percent. Adjustable rate mortgages were also higher, with the average 5-year ARM increasing to 3.43 percent and the 7-year ARM jumping to 3.81 percent.  

Mortgage rates and long-term government bonds began to climb following the Federal Reserve's much-awaited announcement about tapering the pace of their bond purchases beginning in January. Mortgage rates are closely related to yields on long-term government bonds. The better tone of recent economic data, coupled with the fact that the Fed will be buying fewer bonds, put upward pressure on yields. If the Fed does as expected, and continues to ratchet back their bond purchases throughout 2014, a steady grind toward higher mortgage rates is likely to result.

As recently as May 1^st, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 3.52 percent. At that time, a $200,000 loan would have carried a monthly payment of $900.32. With the average rate currently at 4.63 percent, the monthly payment for the same size loan would be $1,028.88, a difference of $128 per month for anyone that waited too long.

SURVEY RESULTS

30-year fixed: 4.63% -- up from 4.58% last week (avg. points: 0.41)
15-year fixed: 3.70% -- up from 3.63% last week (avg. points: 0.26)
5/1 ARM: 3.43% -- up from 3.33% last week (avg. points: 0.29)

Bankrate's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.

For a full analysis of this week's move in mortgage rates, go to http://www.bankrate.com/mortgagerates

The survey is complemented by Bankrate's weekly Rate Trend Index, in which a panel of mortgage experts predicts which way the rates are headed over the next seven days. The panelists are split this week, with 43 percent predicting a rise in mortgage rates and 43 percent expecting mortgage rates to remain more or less unchanged. Just 14 percent forecast a decrease in mortgage rates in the next week.

For the full mortgage Rate Trend Index, go to http://www.bankrate.com/news/rate-trends/mortgage.aspx

To download the Bankrate Mortgage Calculator & Mortgage Rates iPhone App 2.0, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bankrate-mortgage-calculator/id551454062?mt=8.

About Bankrate, Inc.
Bankrate is a leading publisher, aggregator, and distributor of personal finance content on the Internet. Bankrate provides consumers with proprietary, fully researched, comprehensive, independent and objective personal finance editorial content across multiple vertical categories including mortgages, deposits, insurance, credit cards, and other categories, such as retirement, automobile loans, and taxes. The Bankrate network includes Bankrate.com, our flagship website, and other owned and operated personal finance websites, including CreditCards.com, Interest.com, Bankaholic.com, Mortgage-calc.com, CreditCardGuide.com, Nationwide Card Services, InsuranceQuotes.com, CarInsuranceQuotes.com, InsureMe, Bankrate.com.cn, CreditCards.ca, NetQuote.com, and CD.com. Bankrate aggregates rate information from over 4,800 institutions on more than 300 financial products. With coverage of nearly 600 local markets in all 50 U.S. states, Bankrate generates over 172,000 distinct rate tables capturing on average over three million pieces of information daily. Bankrate develops and provides web services to over 80 co-branded websites with online partners, including some of the most trusted and frequently visited personal finance sites on the Internet such as Yahoo!, AOL, CNBC, and Bloomberg. In addition, Bankrate licenses editorial content to over 500 newspapers on a daily basis including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe.

For more information, contact:

Kayleen Yates
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
[email protected] 
(917) 368-8677

www.bankrate.com

SOURCE Bankrate, Inc.