Mortgage rates: 30-year still rising
Home lending rates jump higher, with the 30-year fixed rate spiking to 5.45% in the week ended Wednesday.
| 30 yr fixed mtg | 5.11% |
| 15 yr fixed mtg | 4.71% |
| 30 yr fixed jumbo mtg | 5.94% |
| 5/1 ARM | 4.25% |
| 5/1 jumbo ARM | 4.76% |
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Home mortgage rates jumped in the most recent week, pulled higher by rising Treasury yields, according to a report released Thursday.
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 5.45% in the week ended Wednesday, up from 5.24% last week, according to a weekly national survey from Bankrate.com.
"Investors' nerves were rattled by a potential General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) bankruptcy and a week of substantial government borrowing," which "agitated would-be bond investors," the report said.
Mortgage rates move in tandem with Treasury yields. In particular, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate tracks the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield. In recent days, that benchmark yield has spiked to levels not seen since November 2008.
"Now the ball is in the Federal Reserve's court, as they could step up the pace of their bond buybacks in an effort to reverse some of this week's increase," the report said.
Even as mortgage rates continue to rise, they still remain much lower than last year, when the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.20%, according to Bankrate.com.
To translate the difference in mortgage rate into dollars for a homeowner, consider a $200,000 loan. At 6.2%, the monthly payment would come out to $1,224.94, or $95 higher than the $1,129.31 monthly payment at 5.45%.
With the government spending hand-over-fist to jumpstart the economy, the Treasury has been forced to sell unprecedented amounts of debt. The volume of supply has pushed down prices, sending yields higher. Yields and prices move in opposite direction.
Rising mortgage rates could slow a housing recovery, which the Obama administration has been working hard to jumpstart in an effort to start pulling the economy out of its recession.
Bankrate's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.
Other rates: The average 15-year fixed rate mortgage jumped to 4.86% from 4.74% the week prior.
The average jumbo 30-year fixed rate ticked up to 6.6%. Loans are considered "jumbo" when they are too large to be purchased or guaranteed by Fannie Mae (FNM, Fortune 500) and Freddie Mac (FRE, Fortune 500). Jumbo loans have higher rates than smaller "conforming" loans, which do have guarantees.
Adjustable-rate mortgages were mixed, the report said, with the average 1-year ARM inching higher to 5.03% and the 5-year ARM sinking to 4.94%. 
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