US Mortgage Rates Tick Up to Five-Week High
2026-05-13 11:06
By
Joana Ferreira
1 min. read
The average US 30-year fixed mortgage rate for conforming loans of $806,500 or less rose slightly to 6.46% in the week ending May 8, 2026, up from 6.45% the previous week and reaching its highest level since early April, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey.
Rates remained elevated as Treasury yields stayed high due to stalled US-Iran negotiations and persistent inflation concerns, which increased bets on a Federal Reserve rate hike later this year or early in 2027.
Despite the high rates, total mortgage application volume climbed 1.7%, marking the first weekly increase after two consecutive declines, driven by a 3.9% rebound in purchase applications.
However, refinance demand continued to decline, dropping by 0.8%.