Mortgage rates today: U.S. 30-year hits lowest since Sept 2024 as UK lenders cut deals
NEW YORK, Jan 7, 2026, 07:39 EST — Premarket U.S. mortgage rates opened 2026 a shade lower, with the Mortgage Bankers Association’s measure of the 30-year fixed contract rate falling to 6.25%, the lowest since September 2024. Applications still fell over a holiday-adjusted two-week stretch, keeping the early-year rebound in refinancing on a tight leash. Why it matters now: the market is trying to find the point where lower rates actually pull buyers off the sidelines. First American said affordability improved to its best level since the summer of 2022, even as it remained far below pre-pandemic norms, and chief