US 30-year mortgage rates unchanged in latest week-Freddie Mac

WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Average rates on U.S. 30-year mortgages were unchanged in the latest week, mortgage giant Freddie Mac said on Thursday.

U.S. 30-year mortgage rates remained at an average of 6.40 percent, as fifteen-year mortgages rose slightly to 6.08 percent from 6.06 in the prior week.

One-year adjustable rate mortgages inched upward to an average of 5.76 percent from 5.73 percent last week.

Freddie Mac said the "5/1" ARM, set at a fixed rate for five years and adjustable each following year, averaged 6.11 percent, down slightly from 6.12 percent a week ago.

A year ago, 30-year mortgages averaged 6.36 percent, 15-year mortgages averaged 6.06 percent and the one-year ARM averaged 5.57 percent. The 5/1 ARM averaged 6.11 percent.

"Both economic indicators and mortgage rates came in mixed this week," Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist, said in a statement.

"While retail sales were stronger in September, consumer confidence fell below market expectations in October. Moreover, both the core consumer price index and producer prices for September remained contained," Nothaft said.

Freddie Mac said lenders charged an average of 0.5 percent in fees and points on 30-year mortgages, up from 0.4 last week.

Fee and points charged on 15-year mortgages also rose to 0.6 percent from 0.5 percent last week.

Lenders charged O.5 percent on the 5/1 ARM and 0.6 percent on the one-year ARM, both unchanged from last week.

Freddie Mac is a mortgage finance company chartered by Congress that buys mortgages from lenders and packages them into securities to sell to investors or to hold in its own portfolio.