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Want a mortgage? Borrow big; it’s cheaper

WASHINGTON — Mortgage rates show no signs of heading higher. Indeed, with 10-year Treasury yields falling, long-term mortgage rates have been moving lower in recent weeks.

And borrowers who already have a mortgage are moving to take advantage. The Mortgage Bankers Association says refinancing applications rose 16 percent last week. Refinancings now account for 61.2 percent of all mortgage applications.

Long-term rates for larger mortgages remain a bit lower than rates for conforming mortgage loans.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate non-conforming, or “jumbo,” loan — defined as greater than $625,000 in the D.C. market — is now 3.76 percent, according to the MBA. That is the lowest average jumbo rate since April 2013.

And 30-year rates on conforming mortgages average 3.91 percent, the MBA says.

With long-term fixed rates as low as they are, borrowers have little appetite for adjustable rate mortgages. The Adjustable Rate Mortgage share of mortgage applications was just 6.4 percent.

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