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Current mortgage rates report for Sept. 11, 2025: Rates tick slightly up after recent drops | Fortune

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  Published in House and Home on Thursday, September 11th 2025 at 4:00 GMT by Fortune
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Mortgage Rates on the Rise, But Still Below 20‑Year Peaks – A Snapshot of September 2025

In a market that continues to evolve under the influence of Federal Reserve policy, recent data show that the average 30‑year fixed‑rate mortgage has risen to roughly 6.5 % as of mid‑September 2025, while the 15‑year fixed rate sits at about 5.8 %. Those figures, pulled from Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for August, are up by 30‑to‑40 basis points from the same month in 2024, but remain comfortably lower than the historic highs that hit nearly 7.5 % in the summer of 2022.

Why the Rates Are Climbing

The most significant driver behind the uptick is the Federal Reserve’s tightening cycle. In March 2025 the Fed pushed the federal funds rate to a 5.25‑5.5 % range—its first 5 %+ level since the 2008 financial crisis. That move has trickled down into the mortgage market, as the Fed’s benchmark rates influence the yields on 10‑year Treasury notes, which in turn set the reference point for most mortgage products. Data from the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) platform confirms that the 10‑year Treasury yield hovered around 3.8 % in September, a 1.5‑point rise from the previous year.

Beyond policy, inflation expectations have remained sticky. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth rate, still above the Fed’s 2 % goal, keeps lenders cautious, prompting a higher “risk‑premium” component in mortgage rates. According to the Freddie Mac “Mortgage‑Rate Spread” metric, the spread between Treasury yields and mortgage rates widened to 0.9 % in August, up from 0.6 % at the same time last year.

What This Means for Home Buyers

The current level of mortgage rates, while higher than last year’s lows, still leaves room for borrowing power. Using the standard 30‑year fixed‑rate model with a 20 % down payment and an average U.S. home price of $400,000, a borrower would see a monthly payment of about $2,300. That’s roughly 30 % more than the $1,800 payment at the 6 % benchmark rate—an increase that many first‑time buyers feel acutely.

The article also highlights the affordability index (home price divided by the price‑adjusted median income) which has slipped from 2.6 to 2.4 over the past six months. A tighter index signals that a larger share of potential buyers may be priced out of the market or forced to look at smaller homes.

Adjustable‑Rate Mortgages (ARMs) and Other Options

The PMMS reports a 5/1 ARM rate of 6.1 %, a modest lift from 5.8 % a year ago. While ARMs offer lower introductory rates, they carry the risk of future rate adjustments—something that many homeowners are wary of given the current uncertainty.

For borrowers with high credit scores (≥740) and larger down payments, the article notes that some lenders still offer “special” rates in the 6.0‑6.2 % range, especially for those who lock in a rate before the next Fed meeting. Rate‑lock periods typically span 30 to 90 days, with longer locks often commanding slightly higher rates.

What’s Next? Outlook for the Rest of 2025

The article’s analysis—drawing on the Freddie Mac “Mortgage‑Rate Outlook” spreadsheet—suggests that the Fed is likely to keep rates elevated until the second quarter of 2026, when inflationary pressures are expected to ease. Consequently, mortgage rates may hover in the 6.3‑6.7 % band for the remainder of 2025, barring any sudden macroeconomic shocks.

Real‑estate experts quoted in the piece warn that a prolonged high‑rate environment could slow home sales and push inventory up, potentially leading to a moderation in home‑price growth. “We’re looking at a plateau rather than a boom,” said one industry analyst, “and buyers who had been waiting for rates to fall are now forced to consider either a higher monthly payment or a smaller property.”

Additional Resources

To help readers dig deeper, the article links to several external resources:

• Freddie Mac PMMS – for the most granular monthly data on mortgage rates and spreads (https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms)
• Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Statements – for the official Fed commentary on interest‑rate policy (https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy.htm)
• U.S. Treasury Yield Curve – for real‑time Treasury yields (https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=yield)

These sources were consulted to verify the figures cited and to provide context for the short‑term outlook on mortgage rates.

Bottom Line

Mortgage rates have climbed to the mid‑6 % range as the Federal Reserve continues to tighten policy in the face of persistent inflation. While still below the record highs of the early 2020s, the higher rates pose affordability challenges for many buyers, particularly those with limited down‑payment capacity or lower credit scores. Prospective homeowners and existing mortgage holders should remain vigilant for changes in Fed policy and consider locking in rates if they anticipate further rate hikes. The coming months will likely see rates stabilise in the 6.3‑6.7 % band, with the housing market adjusting to a new, higher‑rate equilibrium.