Mortgages
Rate: 5.58 percent (30-year fixed) Average Points: 0.41Mortgage rates edged downward this week.
The average 30-year fixed rate slipped 1 basis point, to 5.58 percent. A basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.
This week's average 15-year fixed rate -- a popular option for refinancing -- remained unchanged at 4.93 percent.
The average jumbo 30-year fixed plunged 21 basis points, to 6.65 percent.
Adjustable-rate mortgages were split. The one-year, adjustable-rate mortgage rose 4 basis points, to 5.22 percent. The popular 5/1 ARM slid 7 basis points, to 4.98 percent.
Mortgage application activity rose a seasonally adjusted 4.3 percent when compared to a week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
For the week ending July 10, refinancing activity soared 17.7 percent. However, applications for new purchase actually fell 9.4 percent.
In other housing news:
- Nearly one-quarter (24.6 percent) of all U.S. homes currently for sale have experienced at least one price cut, according to real estate Web site Trulia.com. Homesellers lowered prices by an average of 10.4 percent from the original asking price, with Detroit, Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix and New York recording the largest price cuts.
- The role of government-insured mortgage applications continues to grow. As of June, 35.9 percent of all mortgage applications were for FHA or VA loans, according to the MBA. That's up from a share of 25.7 percent in May.
- The recent increase in government-insured applications is a marked change from the years of the housing boom. For example, the lowest recorded share occurred in August 2005, when government-insured applications accounted for just 6.8 percent of the overall total.
To find and compare mortgage rates in your area, visit Bankrate's interactive search tool.
-- Chris Kissell