Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some ARM contracts, was 4.22 percent based on loans closed in November. This is an increase of 0.03 percent from the previous month. This Contract Rate series can be found at www.fhfa.gov/DataTools/Downloads/Pages/Monthly-Interest-Rate-Data.aspx.

Source: FHFA

The average interest rate on conventional, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage loans of $417,000 or less increased 4 basis points to 4.40 percent in November. These rates are calculated from the FHFA’s Monthly Interest Rate Survey of purchase-money mortgages (see technical note). These results reflect loans closed during the November 23–30 period. Typically, the interest rate is determined 30 to 45 days before the loan is closed. Thus, the reported rates depict market conditions prevailing in mid- to late-October.

The contract rate on the composite of all mortgage loans (fixed- and adjustable-rate) was 4.20 percent in November, up 3 basis points from 4.17 percent in October. The effective interest rate, which reflects the amortization of initial fees and charges, was 4.31 percent in November, up 2 basis points from 4.29 percent in October.

This report contains no data on adjustable-rate mortgages due to insufficient sample size. Initial fees and charges were 0.78 percent of the loan balance in November, down 0.05 percent from 0.83 in October. Thirty-four percent of the purchase-money mortgage loans originated in November were "no-point" mortgages, up six percent from the share in October. The average term was 28.5 years in November, down 0.2 years from 28.7 years in October. The average loan-to-price ratio in November was 77.1 percent, down 1.3 percent from 78.4 percent in October. The average loan amount was $220,500 in November, up $2,000 from $218,500 in October.

Recorded information on this index is available by calling (202) 408-2940. For technical questions on this index, please call David Roderer at (202) 414-3106. The December index value will be announced on Jan. 26, 2012.

Technical note: The data are based on a small monthly survey of mortgage lenders which may not be representative. Survey respondents are asked to report the terms and conditions on all conventional, single-family, fully amortized, purchase-money loans closed during the last five working days of the month. The sample is not a statistical sample but is rather a convenience sample. The data exclude FHA-insured and VA-guaranteed mortgages, refinancing loans, and balloon loans. This month’s data are based on 3,265 reported loans from 26 lenders, which may include savings associations, mortgage companies, commercial banks, and mutual savings banks. The effective interest rate includes the amortization of initial fees and charges over a 10-year period, which is the historical assumption of the average life of a mortgage loan. The data are weighted to reflect the shares of mortgage lending by lender size and lender type as reported in the latest release of the Federal Reserve Board’s Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data.