Third week of record lows for mortgage rates

Interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 4.57 percent this week, Freddie Mac reported this morning. That's down just a hundredth of a percentage point from last week's average rate, but it marks the third consecutive week of record-setting lows for the most popular type of home loan. Freddie Mac has been tracking this rate for 39 years.

The 5/1 hybrid loans that are fixed for five years and then convert to an annual rate-adjustment schedule also hit a new low, 3.75 percent. Freddie started tracking that series in 2005.

Mortgages fixed for 15 years rose to 4.07 percent from last week's 4.04 percent. One-year adjustable-rate mortgages pegged to the Treasury index averaged 3.75 percent this week, down from last week's 3.8 percent.

The amount of up-front interest, called points, has remained steady for many weeks, averaging 0.7 point for each type of mortgage. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount, and a loan with higher points typically carries a lower interest rate.