<div id="subtitle">Average rates for 30-year fixed mortgages inch above 5 percent this week</div><div><p>Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages rose slightly this week, inching above 5 percent, Freddie Mac said Thursday.</p><p>The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.01 percent this week, up from 4.98 percent last week. Last year at this time, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.25 percent.</p><p>Rates fell to a record low of 4.71 percent set in early December. They've been held around 5 percent by a Federal Reserve program to pump $1.25 trillion into mortgage-backed securities to try to keep rates low and make home buying more affordable. That program is set to end March 31.</p><p>Freddie Mac collects mortgage rates on Monday through Wednesday of each week from lenders around the country. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a given day, often in line with long-term Treasury bonds.</p><p>The average rate on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages rose slightly to 4.40 percent from 4.39 percent last week, according to Freddie Mac.</p><p>Rates on five-year, adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 4.27 percent, up from 4.25 percent a week earlier. Rates on one-year, adjustable-rate mortgages dropped to 4.22 percent from 4.29 percent.</p><p>The rates do not include add-on fees known as points. The nationwide fee for loans in Freddie Mac's survey averaged 0.7 point for 30-year and 15-year mortgages. It averaged 0.6 point for five-year loans and 0.5 point for one-year loans.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=68446336&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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