Long-term US mortgage rates hit 3.92%, highest since 2019

WASHINGTON — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates jumped again last week, approaching levels not seen since 2019.

The average rate on a 30-year loan rose last week to 3.92% from 3.69% the previous week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday. A year ago, the long-term rate was 2.81%.

The last time the 30-year rate was higher was in May of 2019 when it reached 3.99%.

The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, popular among those refinancing their homes, rose to 3.15% from 2.93% one week earlier. It stood at 2.21% a year ago. It last breached 3% in March of 2020, just at the pandemic was breaking in the U.S.

The Federal Reserve has signaled that it would begin the first in a series of interest rate hikes in March, reversing pandemic-era policies that have fueled hiring and growth but also contributing to inflation levels not seen since the early 1980s.

The Labor Department reported last week that consumer prices jumped 7.5% last month compared with 12 months earlier, the steepest year-over-year increase since February 1982. Higher costs for nearly everything have burdened consumers, offsetting pay raises and reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s decision to begin raising borrowing rates across the economy.

The price for a new home has jumped about 14% in the past year and as much as 30% in some cities. Housing has been in short supply even before the pandemic, and higher prices and rising interest rates will make it even harder for homebuyers.

“As rates and house prices rise, affordability has become a substantial hurdle for potential homebuyers, especially as inflation threatens to place a strain on consumer budgets,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.