For his part, Lewis says mortgage rates are poised to drop in February, after climbing above 7% in January. “The direction of consumer prices will have the strongest effect on mortgage rates in February. The core inflation rate should decline further, giving bond yields and mortgage rates room to fall, but not by a lot,” says Lewis.

Mortgage rates fluctuate daily, so a little volatility can always be expected. On Monday, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was around 6.96%, according to Bankrate data, which is 0.15% lower than January's peak of 7.11%. But February could see more turbulence than usual.

Rates on 15-year new purchase loans fell even more significantly last week, plunging 16 basis points to average 5.98% Friday. Like 30-year loans, 15-year rates sank to a two-year low in September, dropping as far as 4.97% (though the lowest Friday weekly average was 5.07%).

Mortgage rates in the U.S. dropped for a third straight week, easing pressure on homebuyers.

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. eased for the third week in a row, a smidgen of relief for prospective home shoppers getting into the market before the busy spring homebuying season

Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world Mortgage rates in the US dropped for a third straight week,

Freddie Mac (OTCQB: OTC:FMCC) announced today the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), indicating that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) now averages 6.89%. The rate has seen a slight decrease from last week when it averaged 6.