Average U.S. rate on 30-year mortgage slides to 3.95 percent

WASHINGTON — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates slipped this week after they climbed recently on expectations that the Federal Reserve may soon raise its key short-term interest rate.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage slipped to 3.95 percent from 3.97 percent a week earlier. The key 30-year rate was nearly unchanged from its level of a year ago, 3.97 percent. But the average has increased over the past months from 3.76 at the end of October.

The average on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages was unchanged at 3.18 percent.

Rates have risen in recent weeks as some of the global economic turmoil has calmed. Foreign buyers poured into 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds in October, temporarily depressing mortgage rates that have risen as the market focus has returned to the Fed.

At a December meeting, Fed officials are expected to raise the federal funds rate — the interest banks charge each other overnight — for the first time in nearly a decade. This crucial shortterm rate can influence lending to consumers and businesses such that an increase from the current near-zero level might limit borrowing.

Some Fed policymakers have indicated that the 5 percent unemployment rate and potential for rising inflation levels merit a rate increase, signaling the end of extraordinary stimulus measures that began during the Great Recession.

To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country at the beginning of each week. The average doesn’t include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount. The average fee for a 30-year mortgage increased to 0.7 point from 0.6 point last week. The fee for a 15-year loan was unchanged at 0.6 point.

The average rate on five-year adjustable-rate mortgages rose 3.01 percent from 2.98 percent; the fee was unchanged at 0.5 point. The average rate on one-year ARMs edged down to 2.59 percent from 2.64 percent; the fee was unchanged at 0.3 point.