On the heels of ADP’s report that private companies added 215,000 jobs in November, the 30-year, fixed-rate loan, the most popular product for homebuyers, rose to 4.46% from 4.29% last week, according to CNNMoney. The average for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM), often used for refinancing higher interest mortgages, rose from 3.30 percent to 3.47 percent. Rates for the 30-year loan have ranged this year from 3.34 percent to 3.58 percent. In addition, MHProNews has learned auto sales have reached their highest mark since 2007, which likely also contributed to the mortgage rate increase. Says Keith Gumbinger of mortgage information site HSH.com, “If the economy is gaining steam, even just a little, mortgage and other interest rates will firm right along with it.”

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