NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Mortgage rates rose slightly this week, holding true to Freddie Mac's statement last week that rates are set to rise after the Federal Reserve changed its stance on monetary policy, the mortgage finance firm said Thursday.

The average rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rose to 5.72 percent in the week ending Feb. 5, from 5.68 percent last week, with 0.6 of a point payable up front. The 30-year averaged 5.88 percent a year earlier.

The 15-year mortgage increased to 5.03 percent, also with 0.6 of a point payable up front. Last week the 15-year averaged 4.97 percent and a year earlier it averaged 5.27 percent.

The one-year adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.61 percent, with 0.6 of a point payable up front, up from 3.59 percent the previous week. A year earlier it averaged 3.89 percent.

"Shrugging off statements by the Fed last week, mortgage rates remained relatively more stable than bond market yields," said Amy Crews Cutts, Freddie Mac's deputy chief economist. "Without a key indicator that would move it one way or another, the financial market is in something of a state of limbo."

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"The prime missing ingredient to sustainable growth is jobs, so January's employment report, due out tomorrow (Friday), may just be the sign that is needed to help the market decide which way to go," she added.

Freddie Mac's average mortgage rates are based on a survey of 125 lenders nationwide. The rates include those on mortgages accepted by borrowers with good credit ratings who place a 20 percent down payment on their homes, according to Freddie Mac.

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Freddie Mac (FRE: up $0.45 to $62.62, Research, Estimates), or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., is a publicly traded company the government established in 1970 to provide a flow of funds to mortgage lenders. It buys mortgages from banks, bundles them and then resells them as mortgage-backed securities.

Its products, and the products of other similar entities, have become increasingly popular as an alternative to government-backed bonds, particularly with international investors.