Mortgage rates little changed in week

Fixed mortgage rates on long-term loans in the United States were little changed in the week ending Thursday, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. said. The average 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate held steady at 3.55 percent with an average 0.6 points, Freddie Mac said. A year earlier, interest rates for 30-year, fixed-rate loans were at 4.09 percent. For 15-year loans, interest rates dropped slightly, falling from 2.86 percent to 2.85 percent with an average 0.6 points. A year ago, 15-year loan rates averaged 3.3 percent. Average interest rates for five-year adjustable-rate mortgages dropped from 2.75 percent to 2.72 percent in the week with 0.6 points. In the same week of 2011, rates for five-year ARM contracts stood at 2.99 percent. The average interest rates for one-year ARM contracts was 2.61 percent in the week with 0.4 points, identical to last week. Rates a year ago for one-year ARM contracts averaged 2.81 percent.