{
  "id": 3038930,
  "title": "Mortgage rate history: 1972 to 2026",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/mortgage-rate-history-1972-to-2026",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-24T14:09:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/historical-mortgage-rate-trends-1970s-183910495.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As of August 24, 2026, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.71%, according to Bankrate's lender survey. Prior to this, the 30-year fixed rate had fluctuated between 2.65% in 2021 and a high of over 18% in 1981. In 2025, 87% of borrowers paid more than the best available rate. The residential mortgage, introduced during the Great Depression in 1934, has been a game changer for homeownership, with only one in ten Americans owning a home before its introduction. A timeline of the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate shows it ranged from 2.65% in 2021 to 18% in 1981, the latter being the peak due to the Federal Reserve's fight against inflation. Recently, rising oil prices and Treasury yields have kept mortgage rates in the mid-6% range, despite the Federal Reserve's efforts to lower rates. In the 2010s, the 30-year mortgage rate trended downward, from a high of 18.4% in 1981 to a low of 2.65% in 2021, and then climbed back to 6.66% in 2025. Experts advise homeowners to compare rates with multiple lenders, as not doing so can lead to overpaying by hundreds of dollars annually.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}