Mortgages & Rates
Mortgage rate movements, refinancing, loan types, rate locks, lender comparisons, and how interest rates affect housing affordability.
Latest in Mortgages & Rates
A younger spouse left off a reverse mortgage can now stay in the home for life
Surviving spouses who were left off a reverse mortgage now have a federally protected right to stay in their homes after the borrower dies, a...
Putting a lump sum toward your mortgage and asking for a recast lowers your monthly payment for good, without refinancing
Homeowners who have built up savings or received a windfall are looking for ways to cut housing costs without giving up an existing mortgage rate....
Once you owe less than 80% of your home’s value, you can demand your lender drop private mortgage insurance
Homeowners paying private mortgage insurance on a conventional loan have a federal right to demand its removal the moment their balance drops to 80% of...
A lump sum and a mortgage ‘recast’ lower your payment for good, without refinancing
Homeowners locked into mortgage rates above 5 percent are finding a way to permanently cut their monthly payments without refinancing, closing costs, or a new...
Two costs your lender can’t lock in, insurance and property taxes, are quietly breaking the 30-year mortgage
Homeowners who locked in a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage expecting stable monthly payments are watching those payments climb anyway. The culprit is not the interest rate....
Putting a lump sum toward your mortgage and recasting lowers the payment without refinancing
Homeowners sitting on a windfall, whether from an inheritance, a bonus, or the sale of another asset, can cut their monthly mortgage payment without the...
Homeowners 62 and older can tap home equity with a reverse mortgage and make no monthly payments
Homeowners aged 62 and older who have built up equity in their homes can convert that wealth into cash through a federally insured reverse mortgage...
Splitting your mortgage into biweekly half-payments slips in one extra payment a year and can shave years off it
Homeowners who split their monthly mortgage payment into two biweekly installments effectively make one full extra payment each year, a simple scheduling change that can...
Putting a lump sum toward your mortgage and asking for a recast lowers the monthly payment without refinancing
Homeowners who locked in fixed-rate mortgages before interest rates climbed can still cut their monthly payments without giving up those favorable terms. A mortgage recast,...
A reverse mortgage can free up cash in retirement, but the loan balance grows and can eat the home equity you leave behind
Retirees who tap their home equity through a reverse mortgage gain immediate spending power, but the trade-off is concrete: interest compounds on the loan balance...
Mortgage discount points cost about 1% of the loan to buy down your rate, paying off only if you stay put
Homebuyers who pay mortgage discount points hand over a fee equal to 1% of their loan amount at closing in exchange for a lower interest...
A home-equity line now averages well above 8%, so tapping your house costs far more than your old mortgage
Homeowners sitting on record equity are discovering that their house has become a much more expensive ATM. While many locked in fixed mortgage rates near...
A year ago the 30-year mortgage averaged 6.81%; today’s 6.5% has barely dented record home prices
Homebuyers hoping that a year of modest rate relief would cool prices have found little comfort. The 30-year fixed mortgage averaged 6.81% in a June...
Once you owe less than 80% of your home’s value, you can demand the lender cancel private mortgage insurance
Homeowners paying private mortgage insurance on conventional loans have a federal right to cancel that coverage once their loan balance drops to 80 percent of...
The 30-year mortgage is averaging about 6.47% after the Fed signaled no rate cuts
Homebuyers shopping for a fixed-rate loan this week face a 30-year mortgage rate averaging 6.47 percent, a level that keeps monthly payments elevated even as...
Mortgage rates jumped within hours of the Fed’s decision and erased a week of relief
Homebuyers who spent the past week watching borrowing costs edge lower got a rude reversal on September 17, 2025, when mortgage rates climbed back within...
Home-equity and variable-rate borrowers got no relief from the Fed’s decision
Millions of Americans carrying home-equity lines of credit and adjustable-rate mortgages will keep paying the same elevated rates after the Federal Reserve held its benchmark...
A home-equity line lets you tap your house at rates well below most credit cards, but your home is the collateral
Homeowners carrying high-interest credit card balances face a straightforward but high-stakes trade-off: a home-equity line of credit, or HELOC, lets them borrow against their property...
Mortgage rates fell to a one-month low of 6.31% after the Iran deal
Homebuyers shopping for a fixed-rate mortgage caught a break after the Iran nuclear deal pushed rates to 6.31 percent, the lowest print in roughly a...
The 30-year mortgage is averaging about 6.6% as inflation keeps rates elevated
Homebuyers shopping for a fixed-rate loan in mid-2026 are paying roughly 6.6 percent on a 30-year mortgage, a level that has barely budged since late...