U.S. Mortgage Rates Hold at Record Low of 3.87 Percent

U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates remained at a record low of 3.87 percent in the week ended Feb. 9, unchanged from the previous week, according to Freddie Mac.

One year ago, the average 30-year mortgage was 5.05 percent.

Although the 30-year rate remained unchanged, other types of mortgage rates rose.

A strong January employment report added upward pressure to most mortgage rates this week, said Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist of Freddie Mac, in a statement.

He cited the 243,000 jobs gained in January last month, the largest monthly gain since April 2011, and unemployment rate falling to 8.3 percent, the lowest since February 2009.

The average rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages was 3.16 percent, up from 3.14 percent in the previous week and down from 4.29 percent in the previous year.

Five-year Treasury-indexed adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) averaged 2.83 percent, up compared to 2.80 percent in the previous week and down from 3.92 percent in the previous year. One-year Treasury-indexed ARMs rose to 2.78 percent from 2.76 percent in the previous week and below 3.35 percent in the previous year.