About Bankrate's mortgage rates

Bankrate publishes mortgage market information, including national mortgage rate and APR averages displayed daily and weekly; Bankrate Monitor (BRM) National Index rate averages reported weekly; and “top offers” displayed daily and weekly. Together, these help capture the current market picture for borrowers, economists, journalists and more. Here’s a closer look at how we collect and share this information.

National mortgage rate averages

Bankrate displays daily and weekly national mortgage rate and APR averages. This information is collected from banks and thrifts across hundreds of markets in the U.S., as well as rates from our advertisers. Secondarily, the averages also account for a small subset of rates from our advertisers in the 90210 ZIP code.

We have gathered this information since 1999, consistently on a rolling weekly basis, and within specific borrower scenarios. We adjust our borrower scenarios periodically as the housing market changes.

For conforming loan products, we assume:

• 740 FICO score
• 80 percent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio
• $320,000 loan amount
• Existing single-family detached home
• Primary residence

For non-conforming (jumbo) loan products, we assume:

• 740 FICO score
• 80 percent LTV ratio
• $1.36 million loan amount
• Existing single-family detached home
• Primary residence

Bankrate Monitor (BRM) National Index rate averages

The Bankrate Monitor (BRM) National Index is a weekly survey reporting rate information from the 10 largest banks and thrifts, based on deposit assets as reported by the FDIC, in the 10 largest markets in the U.S. The survey gathers information about several types of financial products, including mortgages.

We have conducted this survey consistently for almost 40 years, within specific borrower scenarios. We adjust our borrower scenarios periodically as the housing market changes.

For conforming loan products we assume:

• 700 FICO score
• 80 percent loan-to-value (LTV) ratio
• $320,000 loan amount
• Existing single-family detached home
• Primary residence

For non-conforming (jumbo) loan products, we assume:

• 700 FICO score
• 80 percent LTV ratio
• $1.36 million loan amount
• Existing single-family detached home
• Primary residence

“Top offers” on Bankrate

Bankrate also displays daily and weekly “Top offers,” an average of the rates listed first on our rate tables as advertised by our partners. The averages shown are based on the loan type and term selected. We have collected and displayed this information since 2021.

FAQ about our mortgage rates