US 30-, 15-year mortgage rates change little in week

WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - U.S. 30- and 15-year mortgage rates saw little change in the latest week, according to a survey released on Thursday by mortgage funding company Freddie Mac (FRE.N).

U.S. 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.37 percent, up slightly from 6.35 percent a week ago, while 15-year mortgages stood at an average of 5.91 percent, compared with 5.92 percent last week.

One-year adjustable rate mortgages, or ARMs, held steady at an average of 5.17 percent.

Freddie Mac said the "5/1" ARM, set at a fixed rate for five years and adjustable each following year, averaged 5.82 percent, up from 5.78 percent a week earlier.

A year ago, 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.73 percent, 15-year mortgages 6.39 percent and the one-year ARM 5.71 percent. The 5/1 ARM averaged 6.35 percent.

"In the housing sector, economic reports were mixed this week. Pending sales for existing homes fell more than expected in May, but April's increase was revised even higher, according to the National Association of Realtors," Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist, said in a statement.

"Offsetting this decline, the number of mortgage applications for home purchases over the week ending July 4 was nearly 10 percent above the over five-year low set just two weeks prior, despite the holiday break, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association," he added.

Lenders charged an average of 0.6 percent in fees and points on 30- and 15-year mortgages, both unchanged from last week.

They charged 0.5 percent on the one-year ARM, down from 0.6 percent last week, and 0.6 percent on the 5/1 ARM, down from 0.7 percent last week.

Freddie Mac is a mortgage finance company chartered by Congress that buys mortgages from lenders and packages them into securities to sell to investors or to hold in its own portfolio. (Reporting by Melissa Bland; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)