Mortgage rates up

WASHINGTON – Average rates on U.S. fixed mortgages rose this week but remained near record lows, a trend that is leading more Americans to buy homes or refinance their loans.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on a 30-year loan increased to 3.37 percent from 3.32 percent last week. That’s just above the 3.31 percent rate of a month ago, the lowest on records dating to 1971.

The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage dipped to 2.65 percent from 2.66 percent last week. The record low is 2.63 percent.

The average fee for 30-year loans was 0.7 point, unchanged from last week. The fee for 15-year loans ticked up from 0.6 point to 0.7 point.

The average rate on a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage edged up to 2.71 percent from 2.70 percent last week. The fee also moved up to 0.7 point from 0.6 point.

The average rate on a one-year adjustable-rate mortgage declined to 2.52 percent from 2.53 percent. The fee for one-year adjustable-rate loans also ticked down to 0.4 point from 0.5 point.