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Bankrate’s weekly national survey reported a 6.30% average for 30-year fixed mortgages and 5.56% for 15-year fixed mortgages on December 17, 2025. Both were slightly lower than the prior week. These are national benchmarks, not personal loan offers; Freddie Mac published a separate set of averages the following day.
Mortgage rates reported for December 17
Bankrate’s December 17, 2025 survey put the 30-year fixed rate at 6.30% and the 15-year fixed rate at 5.56%. Its prior-week readings were 6.34% and 5.60%, respectively. The 30-year survey rate included an average of 0.32 total discount and origination points, so the rate alone does not capture the full cost of borrowing. Bankrate’s report also lists year-earlier readings of 6.91% for the 30-year loan and 6.13% for the 15-year loan.
Freddie Mac’s separate December 18 benchmark
Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), published December 18, reported averages of 6.21% for 30-year fixed mortgages and 5.47% for 15-year fixed mortgages. The previous week’s readings were 6.22% and 5.54%; the year-earlier comparisons were 6.72% and 5.92%. These figures are a separate weekly series, published a day after Bankrate’s December 17 report, and should not be treated as readings from the same survey or publication date. Freddie Mac’s historical archive provides the weekly series.
Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater said in the December 18 release that the average 30-year fixed rate had remained within a narrow 10-basis-point range over the prior two months. That description reflects a limited range, not an unchanged rate: the week-over-week figures in both reports edged down. Freddie Mac’s release and PMMS archive document its figures and timing.
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Why the two averages differ
Bankrate says its weekly national survey gathers rate information from the 10 largest banks and thrifts in 10 large U.S. markets. Freddie Mac’s PMMS describes a benchmark for conventional, conforming, fully amortizing home-purchase loans, based on a profile of borrowers with excellent credit putting 20% down. The different populations and methods can produce different averages; neither figure guarantees the rate a particular borrower will be offered.
Freddie Mac says PMMS now uses rates from thousands of applications submitted through lenders’ Loan Product Advisor system. Its national average is calculated from purchase applications that meet the survey criteria. The process changed from lender surveys to application data on November 17, 2022. Details are available on Freddie Mac’s PMMS methodology page.
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- FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT LOAN: At the press of a button for jumbo, conventional, FHA/VA, or even 80:10:10 or 80:15:5 combo loans; check to see if ARMs or bi-weekly loans, quarterly payments or if interest-only payments are the answer; giving your client more choices; easily perform what if loan or tvm calculations Find loan amount, term, interest or PITI or PI payments
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What the rates mean when comparing loan terms
A 15-year mortgage typically pays down principal faster than a 30-year mortgage. That shorter repayment period generally means a higher monthly payment but less time accruing interest; the 30-year term spreads repayment over more months, which can ease the required monthly payment but usually increases total interest over the loan’s life. The actual trade-off depends on the loan amount, rate, costs, and how long the borrower keeps the loan.
To compare the terms fairly, calculate the payment and total interest for the same loan amount and assumptions. Do not turn the national averages above into a payment estimate for a specific household: the cited reports do not establish an individual borrower’s rate or costs.
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How to compare a lender’s offer with these benchmarks
Request personalized quotes for the same loan amount, term, property, occupancy, and down payment. Compare offers using the same credit and pricing assumptions, and look at points and fees alongside the interest rate. Bankrate’s December 17 report gives an average of 0.32 total discount and origination points for its 30-year survey rate, underscoring why a lower quoted rate may come with different upfront costs.
Bankrate reported that the 10-year Treasury yield was 4.15% on Wednesday afternoon, down from 4.17% a week earlier. That is market context, not proof that Treasury movements caused the reported mortgage-rate change. Bankrate also quoted Mortgage Bankers Association Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni forecasting a fairly narrow mortgage-rate range over the next few years; that was his forecast in the 2025 article, not a guaranteed outcome or a current promise.
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- SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE: Keys clearly labeled in residential mortgage finance terms like Loan Amt, Int, Term, Pmt; this industry-standard calculator is super easy to use on all realty financing matters from finding a loan that works for your client to considering trust deeds investments, or finding remaining balances or balloon payments and more
- CONFIDENTLY AND EASILY SOLVE: Clients' financial questions whether they're buyers, sellers, investors or renters. Increase your perceived professionalism as a new agent, experienced broker or seasoned loan officer. Close more home sales and impress your clients with fast, accurate answers to all their real estate finance questions from PITI Payments to IRR, NPV and Cashflows
- DEDICATED BUYER QUALIFYING KEYS: Enter client's income, debt and expenses to pre-qualify them to only show properties they can afford. Include tax, insurance and mortgage insurance then compare loan options and payment solutions to give your client choices before they make an offer to buy
- FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT LOAN: For your client at the press of a button for jumbo, conventional, FHA/VA, or even 80:10:10 or 80:15:5 combo loans; check to see if ARMs or bi-weekly loans, quarterly payments or if interest-only payments are the answer; giving your client more choices; easily perform what if loan or TVM calculations find loan amount, term, interest or PITI or PI payments
- BECOME AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE: To your clients by reducing their confusion and uncertainty; ensuring they are able to make a purchase offer; knowing they can afford the down payment; and determining which is the right loan for them. Date-math for listings and contracts too. Comes with a protective slide cover, quick reference guide, pocket user's guide, and long-life battery
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