Omicron worries push mortgage rates down; 30-year at 3.05%

By PAUL WISEMAN
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fears about the economic fallout from the omicron variant pushed long-term U.S. mortgage rates lower this week. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark, 30-year home loan dipped to 3.05% this week from 3.12% last week. A year ago, the 30-year rate stood at 2.66%. The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 2.3% from 2.34% last week. It was 2.19% a year ago.