Mortgage rates mixed in week in US

Average U.S. mortgage rates for long-term loans were little changed in the week ending Thursday, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. said. In the week, average interest rates on 30-year fixed rate loans rose from 4.39 percent to 4.4 percent with an average 0.7 point, Freddie Mac said. Average rates for 15-year fixed rate loans were unchanged, holding steady at 3.43 percent with an average 0.7 point. Average interest rates for five-year adjustable rate mortgages rose from 3.18 percent to 3.19 percent with 0.5 point, Freddie Mac said. And one-year adjustable rate mortgages averaged 2.62 percent with 0.3 point in the week, down from the previous week's 2.64 percent. One point is equal to 1 percent of the amount of the loan and is typically paid up front. It includes a corresponding discount on the loan's long-term interest rates. "Mortgage rates were relatively unchanged following a mixed employment report for July. Even though the unemployment rate fell to 7.4 percent in July, which was the lowest since December 2008, the economy added only 161,000 jobs, short of the market consensus forecast," said Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist at Freddie Mac. "In addition, revisions subtracted 26,000 workers in the prior two months. Finally, hourly wages fell 0.1 percent in July, representing the first decline since October 2012," he said in a statement.