Loan comparison calculator
Estimate the mortgage amount that best fits your budget.
ARM loan rates
On Tuesday, May 11, 2021, according to Bankrate’s latest survey of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders, the average 5/1 ARM rate is 3.150% with an APR of 3.990%. The average 7/1 ARM rate is 3.180% with an APR of 3.880%. The average 10/1 ARM rate is 3.420% with an APR of 4.090%.
Bankrate has offers for adjustable-rate mortgages from top partners that are well below the national average. Compare, apply, and start saving today.
About our Mortgage Rate Tables: The above mortgage loan information is provided to, or obtained by, Bankrate. Some lenders provide their mortgage loan terms to Bankrate for advertising purposes and Bankrate receives compensation from those advertisers (our "Advertisers"). Other lenders' terms are gathered by Bankrate through its own research of available mortgage loan terms and that information is displayed in our rate table for applicable criteria. In the above table, an Advertiser listing can be identified and distinguished from other listings because it includes a "Next" button that can be used to click-through to the Advertiser's own website or a phone number for the Advertiser.
Availability of Advertised Terms: Each Advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its own advertised terms. Bankrate cannot guaranty the accuracy or availability of any loan term shown above. However, Bankrate attempts to verify the accuracy and availability of the advertised terms through its quality assurance process and requires Advertisers to agree to our Terms and Conditions and to adhere to our Quality Control Program. Click here for rate criteria by loan product.
Loan Terms for Bankrate.com Customers: Advertisers may have different loan terms on their own website from those advertised through Bankrate.com. To receive the Bankrate.com rate, you must identify yourself to the Advertiser as a Bankrate.com customer. This will typically be done by phone so you should look for the Advertisers phone number when you click-through to their website. In addition, credit unions may require membership.
Loans Above $548,250 May Have Different Loan Terms: If you are seeking a loan for more than $548,250, lenders in certain locations may be able to provide terms that are different from those shown in the table above. You should confirm your terms with the lender for your requested loan amount.
Taxes and Insurance Excluded from Loan Terms: The loan terms (APR and Payment examples) shown above do not include amounts for taxes or insurance premiums. Your monthly payment amount will be greater if taxes and insurance premiums are included.
Consumer Satisfaction: If you have used Bankrate.com and have not received the advertised loan terms or otherwise been dissatisfied with your experience with any Advertiser, we want to hear from you. Please click here to provide your comments to Bankrate Quality Control.
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money.
How to use our mortgage rate table
The table above will show you estimated mortgage rates from different lenders, tailored to you. Fill out the fields above as accurately as possible so we can get a sense of where you live, what you’re looking to do and your financial situation. Based on the information provided, you will get custom quotes and be on your way to getting a new mortgage. This is an estimate; your actual rate will depend on a number of factors.
Today's ARM loan rates
By Zach Wichter
The table below brings together a comprehensive national survey of mortgage lenders to help you know what are the most competitive ARM rates. This interest rate table is updated daily to give you the most current rates when choosing an adjustable-rate mortgage.
| Product | Interest Rate | APR |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Year Fixed Rate | 3.050% | 3.270% |
| 20-Year Fixed Rate | 2.950% | 3.150% |
| 15-Year Fixed Rate | 2.350% | 2.650% |
| 10/1 ARM Rate | 3.420% | 4.090% |
| 7/1 ARM Rate | 3.180% | 3.880% |
| 5/1 ARM Rate | 3.150% | 3.990% |
| 30-Year VA Rate | 2.660% | 2.840% |
| 30-Year FHA Rate | 2.850% | 3.700% |
| 30-Year Fixed Jumbo Rate | 3.070% | 3.170% |
| 15-Year Fixed Jumbo Rate | 2.350% | 2.420% |
| 7/1 ARM Jumbo Rate | 3.360% | 3.850% |
| 5/1 ARM Jumbo Rate | 3.180% | 3.870% |
Rates as of May 11th, 2021 at 6:30 AM
Why trust Bankrate?
Bankrate has been the authority in personal finance since it was founded in 1976 as the “Bank Rate Monitor,” a print publication for the banking industry. Bankrate has been surveying and collecting information on mortgage and refinance rates from the nation’s largest lenders for more than 30 years. Top publications such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNBC and others depend on Bankrate as a trusted source of financial information, so you know you’re getting information you can trust.
How Bankrate mortgage and refinance rates are calculated
Lenders nationwide provide weekday mortgage rates to our comprehensive national survey to bring you the most current rates available. Here you can see the latest marketplace average rates for a wide variety of refinance loans. The interest rate table below is updated daily to give you the most current refinance rates when choosing a home loan. APRs and rates are based on no existing relationship or automatic payments. For these averages, the customer profile includes a 740 FICO score and a single-family residence. To learn more, see understanding Bankrate rate averages.
What is an ARM loan?
Adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, are home loans that come with a floating interest rate. In other words, the interest rate can change periodically throughout the life of the loan, unlike fixed-rate mortgages.
Since the rate on ARMs can increase or decrease, your monthly payment can, too. ARMs are structured with a fixed-rate period and a floating-rate period. During the first few years your rate is fixed, but after that period ends your rate becomes adjustable. These are typically 5/1 or 7/1 ARMs, which signify that the first five or seven years of the loan will have a fixed rate.
The time between rate changes — called the adjustment period — will appear in the fine print, so you’ll know exactly when it may go up or down. Typically, ARM interest rates adjust annually after the initial fixed period.
How do adjustable-rate mortgages work?
Adjustable-rate mortgages are loans with an interest rate that changes after an initial fixed period. The most common adjustable-rate mortgage, the 5/1 ARM, has a fixed period of 5 years at the start of the loan, which usually has a lower interest rate relative to market conditions. After that initial period ends, the /1 represents that the rate will adjust based on the prevailing market rate annually.
Mortgage rates are just above their all-time lows right now, so if you close on a 5/1 ARM tomorrow, your interest rate may rise, and your monthly payment along with it, once the annual adjustments start. But really no one can say what rates will look like five years from now.
When should you consider an ARM?
Adjustable-rate loans are usually best for borrowers who plan to move before the fixed period ends, or who are prepared to refinance once the loan starts adjusting.
The benefits of an ARM usually include low interest rates during the initial fixed stage, but once the rate adjustments start, it can be more difficult to budget for your payments, especially if the market pushes your interest rates up.
Most ARMs take 30 years to fully amortize, so you could be stuck with up to 25 years of variable payments if you stay put and don’t refinance to a fixed loan.
Is an ARM better than a fixed-rate mortgage?
There are pros and cons of both ARMs and fixed-rate mortgages. Your financial goals will dictate which one makes sense for you.
ARMs generally have lower introductory rates compared with 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. So, for someone who plans to sell their house, pay off the loan or refinance before the fixed-portion of the ARM expires (see above), then an ARM might be a cheaper option.
If you’re comparing ARM rates to shorter-term fixed-rate options, then you might find that those rates are about the same. The difference is that with ARMs you can spread the payment over 30 years, so you can get a low rate (on par with a 10-year fixed-rate mortgage) without the high monthly costs. The ARM option, in this scenario, might make sense if you don’t plan on staying in the house long-term.
Do ARM loans have a rate cap?
A rate cap puts a limit on how much your interest rate can go up.
There are two types of caps:
- Period adjustment cap: how much your rate can go up or down within an adjustment period
- Lifetime cap: limits rate increase throughout the lifetime of the loan (by law ARMs must have a lifetime cap)
Keep in mind that a drop in interest rates doesn’t mean your monthly payments will go down (or up) right away. Some lenders may hold on to some or all of the rate decline and move it over to the next adjustment period — referred to as a carryover.
For example, if your rate cap is 1 percentage point and interest rates went up by 2 percent, your lender can hold onto the “extra” 1 percent and increase your monthly payment in the future even if the index rate hasn’t gone up.
Are there any requirements associated with ARM loans?
ARM loans have a few requirements which are similar to other types of mortgages.
Loan amount: Typically, homeowners can borrow up to $510,400 for a conforming ARM (limits may be higher in areas with higher home prices). You can take on a jumbo ARM which exceeds the conforming loan limit, though both these types of loans can be harder to secure.
Credit history: The higher your credit score, the more likely you’ll be approved for a loan with competitive interest rates. Lenders will also look at other factors such as your payment history, other loans and income.
Down payment: Ideally, you’ll want to put down a 20 percent down payment to avoid PMI (private mortgage insurance) but most conventional ARM loans allow as little as a 5 percent down payment. Government backed loans such as FHA or VA loans may have even lower minimum down payment requirements.
What are the different types of ARM loans?
The most common types of ARMs are also known as hybrid ARMs. These have initial fixed-rate periods followed by a floating rate for the remainder of the loan. Hybrid ARMs include:
- 5/1 ARM: The first 5 years have a fixed rate followed by a floating rate for the remainder of the loan.
- 7/1 ARM: The first 7 years have a fixed rate followed by a floating rate for the remainder of the loan.
- 10/1 ARM: The first 10 years have a fixed rate followed by a floating rate for the remainder of the loan.
Usually, 5/1 ARMs have the lowest interest rate of the bunch. For those who think they’ll refinance or sell within five years, this could be a cost-effective mortgage option.
Of course, it’s also a gamble. If your income or credit situation changes for the worse, you might not be able to refinance. And, if you can refinance, you might end up with a higher rate than if you would have gotten a fixed-rate loan in the first place.
VA and FHA ARMs
There are also VA and FHA ARMs which are basically the same loans, with the same qualifications and requirements as their fixed-rate counterparts, but with an adjustable rate.
If you know that you won’t keep the house longer than the initial period, you could end up saving money. If you stay with an ARM past the fixed-rate period, you run the risk of your rate rising (it could also fall if rates drop).
Learn more about adjustable-rate mortgages
| Loan Type | Purchase Rates | Refinance Rates |
|---|---|---|
| The table above links out to loan-specific content to help you learn more about rates by loan type. | ||
| 30-Year Loan | 30-Year Mortgage Rates | 30-Year Refinance Rates |
| 20-Year Loan | 20-Year Mortgage Rates | 20-Year Refinance Rates |
| 15-Year Loan | 15-Year Mortgage Rates | 15-Year Refinance Rates |
| 10-Year Loan | 10-Year Mortgage Rates | 10-Year Refinance Rates |
| FHA Loan | FHA Mortgage Rates | FHA Refinance Rates |
| 30-Year FHA Loan | 30-Year FHA Loan Rates | 30-Year FHA Refinance Rates |
| VA Loan | VA Mortgage Rates | VA Refinance Rates |
| ARM Loan | ARM Mortgage Rates | ARM Refinance Rates |
| 5/1 ARM | 5/1 ARM Rates | 5/1 Refinance Rates |
| 7/1 ARM | 7/1 ARM Rates | 7/1 Refinance Rates |
| 10/1 ARM | 10/1 ARM Rates | 10/1 Refinance Rates |
| Jumbo Loan | Jumbo Mortgage Rates | Jumbo Refinance Rates |
| 30-Year Jumbo Loan | 30-Year Jumbo Loan Rates | 30-Year Jumbo Refinance Rates |
breadcrumb
