Interest on fixed-rate mortgages drop

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Fixed mortgage rates on long-term loans in the United States hit record lows in the week, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. said Wednesday.

In a weekly tracking report released a day early due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Freddie Mac said the average 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate dropped from 3.34 percent to 3.31 percent with an average 0.7 points, Freddie Mac said.

A year earlier, interest rates for 30-year, fixed-rate loans were at 3.98 percent.

For 15-year loans, interest rates fell from 2.65 percent to 2.63 percent with an average 0.7 points. A year ago, 15-year loan rates averaged 3.3 percent.

Average interest rates for five-year adjustable-rate mortgages were at 2.74 percent with 0.6 point, unchanged from the previous week. In the same week of 2011, rates for five-year ARM contracts stood at 2.91 percent.

The average interest rate for one-year ARM contracts climbed from 2.55 percent to 2.56 percent in the week with 0.5 points. A year earlier, rates for one-year ARM loans stood at 2.79 percent.