The rate on a 30 year fixed mortgage shot up by over half a point overnight following the drop in the Federal Funds Rate.
The Federal Reserve has dropped the rate that banks lend to each other from 4.25% in January to 1.5% yesterday, trying to spur economic growth without increasing inflation. Yet mortgage rates have been (relatively) steady in the high 5% to low 6% range for most of the year.
This latest point drop had an effect opposite to what people may expect. Rates at one of our lenders shot up from 5.875% to 6.5% on the same 30 year fixed loan. The effect of lowering the Federal Funds Rate is more a long term economic fix, as it can take six months to increase borrowing. It is unusual to see such a dramatic jump in mortgage rates as a response. It is possible things may settle down in the next couple of days, but clearly lenders are not any more confident in the market, and credit (at this point) remains tight despite the Fed's actions.
