Today’s mortgage and refinance rates 

Average mortgage rates inched lower again yesterday. And conventional loans started out this morning at 3.063% (3.063% APR) for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. 

I’m expecting mortgage rates to move a little higher today. However, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are testifying on Capitol Hill later. And it’s just possible one of them could cause a stir.

Find and lock a low rate (Dec 1st, 2020)

Current mortgage and refinance rates 

Find and lock a low rate (Dec 1st, 2020)

COVID-19 mortgage updates: Mortgage lenders are changing rates and rules due to COVID-19. To see the latest on how coronavirus could impact your home loan, click here.

Should you lock a mortgage rate today?

Those with purchase mortgages steaming toward closing might well choose to lock now. They quite possibly have access to record-low mortgage rates. And even those refinancing are getting close to a new low.

But, personally, I’d continue to float — unless I were getting near to closing. Because I think there may be more falls ahead. But those aren’t guaranteed. And even I would be getting tempted to bank my winnings by locking my rate now.

See “Are mortgage and refinance rates rising or falling?” (below) for more. Meanwhile, my personal rate lock recommendations are:

• LOCK if closing in 7 days
• LOCK if closing in 15 days
• FLOAT if closing in 30 days
• FLOAT if closing in 45 days
• FLOAT if closing in 60 days

But with so much uncertainty at the moment, your instincts could easily turn out to be as good as mine — or better. So be guided by your gut and your personal tolerance for risk.

Market data affecting today’s mortgage rates 

Here’s the state of play this morning at about 9:50 a.m. (ET). The data, compared with about the same time yesterday morning, were:

• The yield on 10-year Treasurys rose to 0.89% from 0.85%. (Bad for mortgage rates) More than any other market, mortgage rates normally tend to follow these particular Treasury bond yields, though less so recently
• Major stock indexes were appreciably higher on opening. (Bad for mortgage rates.) When investors are buying shares they’re often selling bonds, which pushes prices of those down and increases yields and mortgage rates. The opposite happens when indexes are lower
• Oil prices were effectively unchanged at $45.00, down from $45.28 a barrel. (Neutral for mortgage rates* because energy prices play a large role in creating inflation and also point to future economic activity.) 
• Gold prices were up at $1,816 from $1,775 an ounce. (Good for mortgage rates*.) In general, it’s better for rates when gold rises, and worse when gold falls. Gold tends to rise when investors worry about the economy. And worried investors tend to push rates lower
• CNN Business Fear & Greed index — A touch lower at 90 from 91 out of 100. (Good for mortgage rates.) “Greedy” investors push bond prices down (and interest rates up) as they leave the bond market and move into stocks, while “fearful” investors do the opposite. So lower readings are better than higher ones

Caveats about markets and rates

Before the pandemic and the Federal Reserve’s interventions in the mortgage market, you could look at the above figures and make a pretty good guess about what would happen to mortgage rates that day. But that’s no longer the case. The Fed is now a huge player and some days can overwhelm investor sentiment.

So use markets only as a rough guide. They have to be exceptionally strong (rates are likely to rise) or weak (they could fall) to rely on them. But, with that caveat, they’re looking worse for mortgage rates today.

Find and lock a low rate (Dec 1st, 2020)

Important notes on today’s mortgage rates

Here are some things you need to know:

1. The Fed’s ongoing interventions in the mortgage market (way over $1 trillion) should put continuing downward pressure on these rates. But it can’t work miracles all the time. So expect short-term rises as well as falls. And read “For once, the Fed DOES affect mortgage rates. Here’s why” if you want to understand this aspect of what’s happening
2. Typically, mortgage rates go up when the economy’s doing well and down when it’s in trouble. But there are exceptions. Read How mortgage rates are determined and why you should care
3. Only “top-tier” borrowers (with stellar credit scores, big down payments and very healthy finances) get the ultralow mortgage rates you’ll see advertised
4. Lenders vary. Yours may or may not follow the crowd when it comes to daily rate movements — though they all usually follow the wider trend over time
5. When rate changes are small, some lenders will adjust closing costs and leave their rate cards the same
6. Refinance rates are typically close to those for purchases. But some types of refinances from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are currently appreciably higher following a regulatory change

So there’s a lot going on here. And nobody can claim to know with certainty what’s going to happen to mortgage rates in coming hours, days, weeks or months.

Are mortgage and refinance rates rising or falling?

Today

I’m expecting a worse day for mortgage rates. In other words, I reckon they’re likely to just inch higher today. But nothing’s guaranteed during these troubled times.

Of course, it’s the pandemic and its effects on the economy that are responsible for current ultralow mortgage rates. They’re almost always low during economically troubled times.

True, they’ll rise modestly from time to time (like today). But I can’t see them turning higher by much or for long — absent some momentous change.

And these times definitely count as troubled. Because the outlook for the pandemic and the economy is grim, almost certainly until the middle of next year and perhaps for longer. The danger is that the economic damage might cause scarring that slows the eventual recovery.

Possible future threat?

You need to be aware of a possible future threat to low mortgage rates. That’s an announcement on Dec. 16 that will follow a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which is the Federal Reserve’s policy body.

We already know that the FOMC discussed reviewing its purchases of mortgage-backed securities (MBSs, the bonds that actually determine mortgage rates) at its last meeting. And if it decides to stop or significantly reduce those purchases, mortgage rates could rise that day and thereafter, perhaps sharply. Indeed, if enough investors believe a policy change is likely, rates might begin to rise before the announcement.

Personally, I think the FOMC is unlikely to sacrifice the main bright spot (the housing market) in the current gloom. But others are concerned. And you should know of this threat.

Recently

Over the last few months, the overall trend for mortgage rates has clearly been downward. A new all-time low was set during each of the weeks ending Oct. 15 and 22 and Nov. 5 and 19 according to Freddie Mac. And that latest record low was the 13th this year. Last week, Freddie said these rates held steady.

But note that Freddie’s figures relate to purchase mortgages alone and ignore refinances. And if you average out across both, rates have been consistently higher than the all-time low since a record set in early August, though they’re close now. The gap between the two has been widened by a controversial regulatory change.

Expert mortgage rate forecasts

Looking further ahead, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) each has a team of economists dedicated to monitoring and forecasting what will happen to the economy, the housing sector and mortgage rates.

And here are their current rates forecasts for the last quarter of 2020 (Q4/20) and the first three of 2021 (Q1/21, Q2/21 and Q3/21).

But note that Fannie’s (released on Nov. 17) and the MBA’s (also Nov. 17) are updated monthly. However, Freddie’s are now published quarterly. And its latest was released on Oct. 14.

The numbers in the table below are for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages:

Forecaster	Q4/20	Q1/21	Q2/21	Q3/21
Fannie Mae	2.8%	2.8%	2.8%	2.8%
Freddie Mac	3.0%	3.0%	3.0%	3.0%
MBA	2.9%	3.0%	3.0%	3.2%

So predictions vary considerably. You pays yer money …

Find your lowest rate today

Some lenders have been spooked by the pandemic. And they’re restricting their offerings to just the most vanilla-flavored mortgages and refinances.

But others remain brave. And you can still probably find the cash-out refinance, investment mortgage or jumbo loan you want. You just have to shop around more widely.

But, of course, you should be comparison shopping widely, no matter what sort of mortgage you want. As federal regulator the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says:

Shopping around for your mortgage has the potential to lead to real savings. It may not sound like much, but saving even a quarter of a point in interest on your mortgage saves you thousands of dollars over the life of your loan.

Verify your new rate (Dec 1st, 2020)

Mortgage rate methodology