30 year fixed mortgage rates are settling at levels significantly higher than all time lows set just weeks ago. Conforming 30 year fixed mortgage rates today are at 4.25% for well-qualified borrowers who pay a standard origination fee (points) of .07 to 1%. Current 15 year fixed mortgage rates today are at 3.75%.

FHA mortgage rates, which are driven by the same mortgage-backed securities prices as conforming fixed mortgage rates, are also up about a quarter percent higher than they were two weeks ago and are nearly identical to conforming mortgage rates today. Today's California 30 year fixed FHA loan rate is 4.125%. MI and other FHA fees make FHA loans more expensive than conforming mortgages.

Jumbo mortgage rates have avoided the spike that has hit conforming and FHA interest rates. Current 30 year fixed jumbo mortgage rates remain at a record low 4.875%.

MBS prices, which move mortgage rates in the opposite direction, have been gaining on low inflation, falling stocks, Euro debt concerns, and tension in Korea, helping to stabilize mortgage rates which had been rising quickly.

FreeRateUpdate.com researches over two dozen wholesale and direct lenders' rate sheets to determine the most accurate mortgage rates available to well-qualified consumers at about 1 point origination.

Published: November 24, 2010

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Edward James Ferrara III spent 8 years (2001-2008) brokering and banking home loans in Orange County, CA to the tune of some 500 million dollars in mortgages funded by May of 2008, when he founded the rate research website FreeRateUpdate.com. Ed is not only the founder of FreeRateUpdate.com, he is also a lead contributor to the site, whose roster includes over a dozen writers and of which receives over 50,000 page views per month. Ed's passion for helping consumers to avoid falling victim to banks dishing out higher rates for bigger profits has helped FreeRateUpdate.com to become a unique authority on mortgage rates. Ed recently married Cheyne Aki Gantt and became a first time father to Edward James Ferrara IV, born August 31st 2009. Ed and FreeRateUpdate.com have recently been cited in numerous media outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Yahoo Finance, and Marketwatch.