Mortgage rates around U.S. have been mixed this week

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mortgage rates around the country were mixed this week, with rates on benchmark 30-year mortgages edging up and rates on other types of mortgages nudging down.

The average rate on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages was 5.59 percent, mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday in its weekly nationwide survey of mortgage rates. This week's rate was up only slightly from the seven-month low of 5.58 percent seen in the previous two weeks.

Rates on 30-year mortgages sank to 5.21 percent in the middle of June, the lowest level in more than four decades. Since then rates have bounced up and down.

For 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, a popular option for refinancing, rates dipped to 4.88 percent this week from 4.89 percent last week. Rates for one-year adjustable mortgages decreased to 3.47 percent. That marked the lowest rate since the week ending June 27, 2003, and was down from 3.50 percent last week.

A year ago, rates on 30-year mortgages averaged 5.67 percent, 15-year mortgages were 5.01 percent and one-year adjustable mortgages stood at 3.76 percent.

The nationwide averages for mortgage rates do not include add-on fees known as points. Each loan type carried an average fee of 0.7 point this week.