Inside these posts: 30-year mortgages

Visit our Filed page for categories. To browse by specific topic, see our Inside page. For a list of companies covered on this site, visit our Companies page.

 

Freddie Mac posts $4.1B loss for third quarter

Government-controlled mortgage buyer Freddie Mac on Wednesday posted a narrower loss of $4.1 billon in the third quarter as it asked for an additional $100 million in federal aid — substantially less than the $1.8 billion it sought in the second quarter.

At 4.27%, 30-year mortgage rates lowest on record

A sign offering a lot for sale is planted next to a sold home under construction in Nebraska. Rates on 30-year mortgages fell to a new low for the ninth time in 12 weeks. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

U.S. mortgages reached new record lows in the latest week as economic data raised the appeal of safe-haven government debt, according to a survey released on Thursday by Freddie Mac, the second-largest U.S. mortgage finance company.

While rock-bottom rates offer a glimmer of hope for a housing market struggling to find its footing in the aftermath of the expiration of a popular home buyer tax credits, their effect on home loan demand has been modest as a weak jobs market and flailing economy weigh on consumer confidence.

Interest rates on U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, the most widely used loan, averaged 4.27 percent for the week ended Oct. 7, down from the previous week’s 4.32 percent and the lowest on record, according to the survey Rates were also below their year-ago level of 4.87 percent. Freddie Mac started the survey in April 1971. Get the full story »