Mortgage Rates Today, September 16, 2026 (index as of Sep 15 close)

Today’s index numbers

• 30-year fixed: 6.76% (+0.05 vs. prior week) — Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, latest survey dated September 10, 2026
• 15-year fixed: 6.09% (+0.05 vs. prior week) — Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, latest survey dated September 10, 2026
• Daily rate index: 7.22% 30-year fixed (+0.05 on the day) — Mortgage News Daily, as of September 15, 2026. The same reading showed the 15-year at 6.82%, FHA 30-year at 6.80%, VA 30-year at 6.82%, jumbo 30-year at 7.38% and the 7/6 ARM at 6.69%.
• Retail sales: up 1.2% in August from July, and up 6.0% from a year earlier — Census Bureau advance report, released this morning. July was revised to a 0.5% decline from an earlier 0.6%.
• 10-year Treasury: about 4.98% Wednesday morning, slightly below Tuesday’s close near 5.00% and still near the highest level since July 2007.

These are national survey and index averages, not an offer.

What moved rates

Tuesday was quieter than the four sessions before it. Bonds showed some resilience, and Mortgage News Daily asked whether 5% yields were finally bringing value buyers back into the market, but lender pricing still finished higher for a seventh straight day at 7.22%. The 10-year edged down this morning to about 4.98%.

The retail sales report at 8:30 gave the market a reason to reconsider. Sales at retailers and food services rose 1.2% in August, well above what forecasters expected, and are running 6.0% above a year ago. July’s small decline was revised to be slightly less bad. A consumer who keeps spending through higher prices and higher borrowing costs is the kind of data point that argues against the economy slowing on its own, which historically has kept pressure on rates rather than relieving it.

Everything now points at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, when the Federal Open Market Committee announces its decision and releases updated projections. Futures price the odds of a quarter-point increase near 92%, which would be the first increase in roughly three years and would move the target range up from 3.50%–3.75%. The projections matter as much as the decision, because they show how many additional moves members expect. Treasury yields are also carrying a fiscal component: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the fiscal outlook improved in 2026, but long-term borrowing costs have stayed elevated anyway, with oil above $100 keeping inflation risk in the picture. Thursday’s post will carry the actual outcome, the vote and the projections.

What it means if you are…

Buying. Everything on this page was priced before the announcement. Lenders typically publish morning rate sheets and then reprice during the afternoon when a release moves the market, so a quote you receive at 10:00 a.m. today and one at 4:00 p.m. may not match. If you are collecting offers, collect them in the same window and ask each lender directly whether the quote holds through the close of business.

Refinancing. Nothing changes today for most homeowners, but one group should pay attention: anyone holding an adjustable-rate mortgage with an upcoming adjustment date. Your new rate is set by an index plus a margin written into your note, and an increase in short-term rates flows into some of those indexes with a lag. Pulling out your note and finding the index, the margin, the adjustment caps and the next adjustment date tells you your worst case in writing. That is worth knowing before the adjustment letter arrives rather than after.

Under contract. Today is the day the uncertainty resolves, one way or another. Locking before 2:00 p.m. means you take today’s pricing regardless of what the Committee says. Waiting means you see the outcome first and accept whatever pricing follows it. Both are defensible, and which one fits depends on your closing date, the days left on any existing lock, and how much a payment change would strain the budget you qualified on. If you want to be in a position to act quickly this afternoon, tell your lender before noon that you may call.

What a $400,000 loan looks like at today’s average

At 6.76% on a 30-year fixed, principal and interest on a $400,000 loan is approximately $2,597 per month (6.76% ÷ 12 = 0.563% monthly rate, over 360 payments). At the daily index reading of 7.22%, the same loan runs about $2,721 — roughly $124 more per month, or about $44,500 across the full term. These figures exclude property taxes, homeowners insurance, flood insurance, mortgage insurance and any association dues; the actual monthly obligation will be greater.

Florida note

Florida closing costs include two line items that surprise buyers moving from other states, and both scale with the size of the purchase and the loan. The state charges documentary stamp tax on the deed that transfers the property and again on the promissory note, and it charges a separate intangible tax on the recorded mortgage. Who pays which piece is negotiable in the contract and varies by county custom, but the amounts are set by statute rather than by your lender, so no amount of shopping changes them. They appear in the taxes and government fees section of your Loan Estimate. When rates are high and every dollar of cash to close matters, it is worth asking your lender to walk that section line by line early, because a buyer who budgets only for a down payment and lender fees can be several thousand dollars short at the table.

Rates shown could change or may not be available at commitment or closing. For a quote on your own scenario, use the rate-quote form on this page.

Daily Mortgage Rates is published by PMF, Inc. d/b/a Pioneer Mortgage Funding, NMLS #1980 · Branch NMLS #2681379 · Mortgage Loan Originator: Brendin Straubel, NMLS #1757609 · 401 E Jackson St, Suite 2340, Tampa, FL 33602 · 813-728-7764 · bstraubel@pmfmortgage.com. Verify licensing at nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Not a commitment to lend. All loans subject to credit approval.