Summary Box Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages unchanged at 4.57 pct, lowest level in decades

Summary Box: Mortgage rates lowest in decades

RATES STAY LOW: Mortgage rates were unchanged this week from a week earlier. Government-sponsored mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said the average rate for 30-year fixed loans this week was 4.57 percent.

STILL LOWEST IN DECADES: The week’s average rate was the lowest since Freddie Mac began tracking rates in 1971. The last time home loan rates were lower was the 1950s, when most mortgages lasted just 20 or 25 years.

HOUSING NOT HELPED: Low rates have yet to fuel home sales and have sparked only a modest increase in refinancing activity.