Mortgage rates are higher this week after a few weeks of declines. Mortgage rates started heading down in May when Treasury yields dropped because of the financial crisis in Europe. When the IMF and the European Union put together a rescue package for Greece, interest rates headed higher. 30 year mortgage rates are up to 4.96 percent this week, up from last week’s average mortgage rate of 4.81 percent. 15 year mortgage rates bucked the trend and headed down slightly this week over last Current 15 year mortgage rates are averaging are 4.27 percent, down from the prior week’s average mortgage rate of 4.28 percent.

Looking for current mortgage refinance rates? Search our mortgage rate tables at MortgageRates.MonitorBankRates.com to find the best refinance mortgage rates.

Today’s Jumbo Mortgage Rates

Today’s 30 year jumbo mortgage rates are averaging  5.45 percent, up from last week’s average 30 year jumbo rate of 5.38 percent.

Current 15 year jumbo mortgage rates are averaging 5.01 percent, an increase from last week’s average mortgage rate of 4.80 percent last week.

Today’s Adjustable Mortgage Rates

Current 1 year conforming adjustable mortgage rates are averaging 3.78 percent, down from the previous week’s average 1 year adjustable rate of 3.82 percent.

Current 3 year conforming adjustable mortgage refinance rates are averaging 4.52 percent, up from last week’s average 3 year adjustable rate of 4.35 percent.

Today’s 5 year adjustable mortgage rates are averaging 4.07 percent, up from last week’s average home loan mortgage rate of 3.90 percent.

Current 7 year adjustable mortgage interest rates are averaging 4.33, unchanged from last week’s average 7 year adjustable mortgage rate.

10 year adjustable mortgage rates are averaging 4.55 percent, an increase from last week’s average mortgage loan rate of 4.49 percent.

Current Jumbo Adjustable Mortgage Rates

Current 1 year jumbo adjustable mortgage rates are averaging 5.95 percent, unchanged from last week’s average 1 year jumbo adjustable rate.

Today’s 3 year jumbo adjustable mortgage rates are averaging 4.87 percent, a decrease from last week’s average jumbo home refinance rate of 5.05 percent.

Current 5 year jumbo rates are averaging 4.46 percent, an increase from the prior week’s average 5 year mortgage rate of 4.40 percent.

Today’s 7 year jumbo adjustable mortgage rates are averaging 5.31 percent, up from Monday’s average loan rate of 5.14 percent.

Currently, 10 year jumbo rates are averaging 5.63 percent, up from last week’s average 10 year jumbo interest rate of 5.56 percent.

CALABASAS, CALIFORNIA – Along with optimism and a new diploma, graduates should be sure to arm themselves with top notch money skills when leaving the classroom and heading into the “real world.”  Informa Research Services, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LSE: INF), suggests a few simple ways for new graduates to manage their money more efficiently and prepare for the exciting life ahead (http://www.monitorbankrates.com/).

• Take advantage of promotional offers.  Many banks are offering cash for opening a new checking or savings account and fulfilling other requirements (such as debit card transactions or receiving online statements).  Don’t be afraid to take advantage of these offers.  However, be sure to fully understand the requirements to qualify for the promotional benefits.  Who said there’s no such thing as free money?

• Make saving a habit.  It may be tempting to spend those paychecks when they start rolling in, but resist the urge and start saving a portion of each check immediately.  The least painful way to achieve this is to schedule an automatic transfer from your paycheck to a savings account.  Furthermore, enroll in your employer’s retirement program if one is offered.

• Find a low-rate credit card.  If you’re going to use a credit card, might as well make sure it carries with it a low rate and minimal fees.  The easiest way to compare offers is to look online.

Learn how to control debt before it starts accumulating.  Manage debt early so that you already know how to borrow responsibly.  The skills you build now will benefit you when you need to figure out how to juggle your credit card, an auto loan, and a mortgage.  Just like your education, the skills acquired and mastered now will benefit you later in life.

As the end of the month rolls around, the deadline for home buyer tax credits is quickly approaching.  These credits include the first time home buyer credit of up to $8,000 and the repeat home buyer credit of up to $6,500.  When combined with a tax credit, a home purchase financed with a low rate mortgage can yield maximum benefits of home ownership.  Informa Research Services, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LSE: INF), suggests home buyers use online rate tables to find a low rate mortgage.

To qualify for the tax credit, home buyers must have a binding contract signed by April 30, but they have until the end of June to finalize the sale.  Because the deadline for a signed contract is coming up quickly, this reminder is more useful for those who have already begun their property search.  Furthermore, be aware of the qualifications that need to be fulfilled to be eligible for the tax credit.  For complete details, visit http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/.  Consumers should also consult their tax advisor to fully understand the benefits of the tax credit.

In addition to receiving a home buyer tax credit, financing the home purchase with a low interest mortgage can help minimize the cost of buying a home.  Lenders like AimLoan.com regularly offer rates below the national average.  A quick, easy way to find these low rates is to look online.  Various online resources such as MortgageRates.MonitorBankRates.com offer easy-to-read rate comparison tables.  These tables include a sorting feature so consumers can sort by rate, fees, or estimated monthly payment to help find the best deal.

Potential home buyers should consider getting pre-qualified for the appropriate financing before looking for a property to purchase.  Remember that a good credit score is one of the most important factors in getting qualified for a home loan.

Source: Informa Research Services

Florida Credit Union is advertising regular certificates of deposit (share certificates) and Individual Retirement Account certificates of deposit (share certificates) with terms ranging from 6 months to 5 years.The credit union’s CD rates are not the highest CD rates available but they are still competitive.

The minimum opening deposit balance is $1,000 for regular certificates of deposit and IRA certificates of deposit with CD terms between 6 and 11 months. All other regular certificates of deposit and IRA certificates of deposit have a minimum opening balance of $2,000.

The credit union is also offering jumbo certificates of deposit with a minimum opening balance of only $50,000 (Mini Jumbo). Most jumbo certificate of deposit accounts require a minimum opening balance of $100,000.

Regular Certificate of Deposit Rates/IRA CD Rates

• 6-11 Month .50% CD Rate
• 12-17 Month .75% CD Rate
• 18-23 Month 1.00% CD Rate
• 24-29 Month 1.25% CD Rate
• 30-35 Month 1.25% CD Rate
• 36-47 Month 1.50% CD Rate
• 48-59 Month  1.75% CD Rate
• 60 Month 1.75% CD Rate

Jumbo Certificate of Deposit Yields

• 6-11 Month .50% CD Yield
• 12-17 Month .75% CD Yield
• 18-23 Month 1.00% CD Yield
• 24-29 Month 1.26% CD Yield
• 30-35 Month 1.26% CD Yield
• 36-47 Month 1.51% CD Yield
• 48-59 Month  1.76% CD Yield
• 60 Month 1.76% CD Yield

Interest earned on the account is compounded quarterly. All certificates of deposit are insured for up to $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). For information on joining FCU and current CD Rates visit: flcu.org or call 1-800-284-1144.

A certificate of deposit ladder is an investment strategy used to invest in certificates of deposit when interest rates are rising. Interest rates and CD rates usually rise when the economy is expanding and the Federal Reserve is raising rates to keep inflation in check.

Locking into longer term certificates of deposit when CD rates are rising may prevent you from taking advantage of an increase in CD rates. One way around this is investing in a certificate of deposit ladder. The strategy used in a CD ladder is to evenly spread out your deposits over a period of several years. In the end all your money is deposited in longer term certificates of deposit which pay a higher CD rate.

Here is an example of a certificate of deposit ladder. We will use a three year CD ladder with $30,000 for this example. You invest $10,000 in a 3 year CD, $10,000 in a 2 year CD and $10,000 in a 1 year CD. After year one, the 1 year $10,000 CD matures, the CD investor then invests the money in a 3 year CD.

After year two, the 2 year $10,000 CD matures, the CD investor invests in another 3 year CD. After two years all the monies are invested in 3 year CDs at a higher interest rate. Again, this only works  in a rising interest rate economic environment.

Use our CD Ladder Calculator to figure out how much you can earn by laddering. CD Ladder Calculator

The maximum amount of insurance on deposit accounts guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was raised during the credit crisis from $100,000 to $250,000 per account. This new $250,000 limit is in effect until December 31, 2013. On January 1, 2014 the maximum amount of deposit insurance will revert back to $100,000.

Even with the increase in FDIC coverage what if you have more money to invest than the maximum amount per account? You can go to as many banks as necessary and open certificates of deposit, making sure you stay under the insured amount.

Another option is opening certificate of deposit accounts at one bank and receiving up to $50 million in coverage.

How is it possible?

The Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (CDARS).

The CDARS makes getting FDIC insurance protection on more than $250,000 per account painless. You only have to deal with one bank directly when you open your CD accounts.

When you open CD accounts at a participating CDARS bank your deposits are spread across the network of banks of just under the $250,000 limit to qualify for FDIC insurance coverage.

You choose certificate of deposit terms between 1 month to 60 months and you earn the same CD rate at all banks. You also receive one monthly statement that has all the details of your CD investments from all banks.

Another good thing about this service is there are no transaction fees, or any fees at all.  The CDARS network has over 2000 banks that are overseen by the FDIC and only banks with the highest FDIC rating can participate.

In you are interested in learning more about CDARS you can view this video: About CDARS.

You can also find out which banks are participating in the network by name or you can search for banks in your state that belong: CDARS banks by state or name.

Low mortgage rates and the expanded home buyer tax credit couldn’t stop pending home sales from going down in January 2010 according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The Pending Home Sales Index is a forward looking indicator based on contracts signed in January which fell 7.6 percent to 90.4 percent.

Find current mortgage rates here: Current Mortgage Rates.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, believes the bad weather will likely impact pending home sales. “January pending sales, though still higher than one year ago, remain much lower than expected given that a large number of potential buyers are eligible for the expanded home buyer tax credit. Moreover, the abnormally severe and prolonged winter weather, which affected large regions of the U.S., hampered shopping activity in February,” he said. 

Here is more from Lawrence Yun on pending home sales.

Looking for mortgage rates? Search for mortgage rates here: Today’s Mortgage Interest Rates.

The Making Home Affordable Program is becoming a little less cumbersome starting June 1, 2010. The U.S. Treasury Department announced it was streamlining the program to increase the number of successful home loan modifications.

Right now home loan borrowers are first put into a trial home loan modification plan and asked to produce more financial documentation. Starting June 1, 2010, banks and mortgage companies participating the the program will be required to collect all the borrower’s documents that are needed in the initial loan modification application.

Many borrowers who initially meet the requirements for a loan modification are complaining about having to submit the required documents several times because banks and mortgage companies are losing the documents.

Another change to the program is home loan borrowers looking to have their mortgage modified will only have to submit the last two pay stubs and a form allowing access to their tax returns. Right now, borrowers have to submit a W-2 form.

Fannie Mae Homes Eligible for Special HomePath® Mortgages

CALABASAS, CALIFORNIA – Special financing is available through the HomePath® Mortgage and Renovation Mortgage on properties owned by Fannie Mae in the HomePath® database.  These HomePath® financing programs offer features such as low down payment, flexible mortgage terms, no mortgage insurance, and no appraisal fees.  When shopping for mortgages, Informa Research Services, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LSE: INF), suggests starting online to find the best mortgage interest rates.

The HomePath® Mortgage is available on designated Fannie Mae homes, which you can browse online at HomePath.com.  This financing is available from both local and national lenders.  To find the lenders with the best mortgage rates and find out more about a HomePath® Mortgage, check online.

Additionally, the HomePath® Renovation Mortgage provides special financing on the property you make your primary residence that not only funds the purchase of the home, but also assists with light renovations.

Not all of Fannie Mae’s real estate owned (REO) properties are eligible for the HomePath® financing and not every lender is certified to structure this type of loan.  Some lenders, such as AimLoan.com, offer competitive rates and can provide more information regarding this program.

From mortgages to certificates of deposit, the fastest way to find the best rates for your financial products is to look online at rate comparison tables like those found on MonitorBankRates.com.  Since these tables are updated continuously throughout each day, they provide the most current rates available.

MonitorBankRates.com has just released a free jumbo mortgage rates widget that lists national average mortgage rates. The jumbo mortgage rate widget is a great tool for real estate agent websites, financial websites or any other website that would like to keep their readers up to date with current mortgage rates.

In addition to the new jumbo mortgage rate widget, MonitorBankRates.com also offers a free conforming mortgage widget that lists mortgage rates nationally and state mortgage widgets that list average mortgage rates by state. Mortgage rates on all widgets are updated daily.

Get Your Free Jumbo Mortgage Rates Widget Here

Get Your Free Conforming Mortgage Rates Widget Here

Get Your Free Mortgage Rates by State Widget Here