Current Mortgage Rates

When buying a house it is wise to seek the best mortgage rates available. The mortgage rates are, however, linked to the market conditions and tend to vary. They vary from day to day as they are connected with the Wall Street activities and the economy of the nation. If the key interest rates are raised by the Federal Reserve Board the mortgage rates too will increase side by side.Conversely, with the deterioration in the national economic conditions the interest rates will fall. As these changes keep taking place, it is important to be aware of these developments at all times.

Lenders have to follow these trends and set their rates accordingly. All factors are so interlinked that mortgage lenders have to compete with other markets for the investors money Mortgage rates vary. So in order to obtain the best mortgage rate one has to keep his eyes and ears open and be aware of all the market dynamics.

Today mortgage rates vary almost from person to person and are geared specifically to people and their needs. They are designed for those who cannot make a large down payment as also for specific professional groups such as teachers and fire fighters. There are also loans designed for borrowers who cannot provide the required paperwork needed for the loans, those with bad debt records and huge credit card debts.

No Down-payment loans: The U.S. Government is actively pushing no-down payment loans to promote house ownership and as a result there is large number of low or no-down payment schemes in the market. In a fixed rate mortgage (FRM) the interest rate remains the same during the entire loan term. Other forms of mortgage loan include interest only mortgage, graduated payment mortgage, adjustable rate mortgage, negative amortization mortgage, and balloon payment mortgage. A fixed rate may apply to all of them except for a straight adjustable rate mortgage. A Balloon Payment mortgage can have a fixed rate for the full loan term with a balloon payment at the end.

Interest only loan: In an interest-only loan a borrower pays only the interest for a certain period of time and the principal at the end of the term. In the United States, a five or ten year interest-only period is typical. After this period is over, the principal balance is amortized for the remaining term. All through the interest only years, the loan balance remains the same unless additional payments are made towards principal amount. Interest only loans carry a higher interest rate as it means higher risk for the lender. Under the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) and variable rate mortgage the interest rates are periodically adjusted based on an index.

Graduated payment mortgage loan: A graduated payment mortgage loan has low initial monthly payments gradually increase over a period of time. These are aimed primarily at those who cannot afford large payments now but can do so at a later date.

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