Mortgage Interest Rates Forecast

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Updated · 1 min read
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Written by Taylor Getler
Lead Writer & Content Strategist
Profile photo of Jeanette Margle
Edited by Jeanette Margle
Head of Content, Home Loans

Mortgage rates this week

Mortgage rates increased in the week ending March 20 as the Federal Reserve voted to keep the federal funds rate unchanged.

  • The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.8% APR, up 18 basis points from the previous week's average, according to rates provided to NerdWallet by Zillow. A basis point is one one-hundredth of a percentage point.

  • The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.01% APR, up 23 basis points from the previous week's average.

  • The 5-year adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 7.2% APR, up five basis points from the previous week's average.

As economic uncertainty grows while we begin to feel the initial effects of President Trump’s monetary policies, the Federal Reserve voted to freeze the federal funds rate on March 19 as they await more solid data. Meanwhile, lenders can be quicker to react, raising mortgage interest rates across the board.

Mortgage loans from our partners

NBKC - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on NBKC

NBKC

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
NBKC - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
620

Min. down payment 
3%

Check Rate

on NBKC

New American Funding - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on New American Funding

New American Funding

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
New American Funding - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
500

Min. down payment 
3.5%

Check Rate

on New American Funding

GO Mortgage - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on GO Mortgage

GO Mortgage

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
GO Mortgage - PURCHASE logo

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
620

Min. down payment 
3%

Check Rate

on GO Mortgage

Mortgage loans from our partners

NBKC - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on NBKC

NBKC

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
NBKC - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
620

Min. down payment 
3%

Check Rate

on NBKC

New American Funding - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on New American Funding

New American Funding

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
New American Funding - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
500

Min. down payment 
3.5%

Check Rate

on New American Funding

GO Mortgage - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on GO Mortgage

GO Mortgage

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
GO Mortgage - PURCHASE logo

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
620

Min. down payment 
3%

Check Rate

on GO Mortgage

Rocket Mortgage - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on Rocket Mortgage

Rocket Mortgage

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Rocket Mortgage - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
580

Min. down payment 
3.5%

Check Rate

on Rocket Mortgage

Veterans United - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on Veterans United

Veterans United

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Veterans United - PURCHASE logo

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
620

Min. down payment 
0%

Check Rate

on Veterans United

March mortgage rate forecast

Mortgage rates remained roughly unchanged in the first two-thirds of March. But there is a possibility they could rise in the second have of this month, after the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting ended March 19.

While most central bankers noted in their projections that the federal funds rate should still fall this year, Chairman Jerome Powell also underscored that the Fed does not feel the need to rush to react before further economic data comes in.

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