30-year, 15-year fixed rate mortgages hold steady at record lows

Published: Tuesday, Feb. 21 2012 10:13 a.m. MST

Newly built luxury townhomes are offered for sale in Woodland Hills, Calif. Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. Fixed mortgage rates hit yet another record low on the second week of the new year. But the cheap rates are expected to do little to boost the depressed housing market. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Summary

Rates for 30- and 15-year fixed mortgages have remained unscathed since hitting record lows in early February.

Rates for 30- and 15-year fixed mortgages have remained unscathed since hitting record lows in early February, according to report released today from ForTheBestRate.com, a mortgage rate research website maintained by CMG Equities, LLC.

Thirty-year fixed interest rates remain at 3.87 percent, which is the lowest the rate has been since records have been kept. The 15-year rate averaged at 3.16 percent this week, which is .02 percentage points higher than the record.

Borrowers with pristine credit may find rates even lower than the record averages.

Rates as low as 3.5 percent were posted on the rate tables for 30-year fixed mortgages for borrowers with excellent credit and desirable loan scenarios. Borrowers for 15-year fixed mortgages hit as low as 2.75 percent.

"This is an excellent time for the highest credit worthy applicants to lock in an incredibly low rate,” Nat Criss, managing partner of CMG Equities, said in a statement. “A fixed rate mortgage at 2.75 percent would have been unimaginable for much of the history of mortgage lending. Even for those with some credit issues or less equity in their properties, pricing can still be very low, and represent significant savings over loans taken out just a few years ago."

EMAIL: jferguson@desnews.com

TWITTER: @joeyferguson

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