Mortgage Rates Today, September 18, 2026 (index as of Sep 17 close)
Today’s index numbers
All four readings below come from the Mortgage News Daily rate index on the same day, so they can be compared with each other.
- 30-year fixed: 7.19% (-0.05 on the day) — Mortgage News Daily, as of September 17, 2026
- 15-year fixed: 6.81% (-0.03 on the day) — Mortgage News Daily, as of September 17, 2026
- FHA 30-year: 6.81% (-0.01 on the day) — Mortgage News Daily, as of September 17, 2026
- VA 30-year: 6.83% (-0.01 on the day) — Mortgage News Daily, as of September 17, 2026
Freddie Mac weekly survey: 6.95%, week of 09/17. A weekly national survey of purchase applications, so it lags the daily index above.
Also today: the jumbo 30-year read 7.35% and the 7/6 ARM 6.70% in the same Mortgage News Daily index. The federal funds target range is 3.75% to 4.00%, raised a quarter point on September 16 (Federal Reserve). The 10-year Treasury is near 4.98%, up about four basis points this morning but on track to finish the week slightly lower than it started, after touching 5.04% earlier in the week. No U.S. economic data was scheduled for release this morning. The Optimal Blue daily rate-lock index is shown live in the widget on the home page.
These are national survey and index averages, not an offer.
What moved rates
Thursday broke the streak. The daily 30-year index fell 5 basis points to 7.19%, its first decline in nine sessions, after the bond market finished digesting Wednesday’s Fed decision. The 15-year, FHA and VA readings eased with it. That is a small move in absolute terms, and it follows a run that added roughly a third of a percentage point in two weeks, so it is better read as the market catching its breath than as a change in direction.
The week’s real story is in the 10-year Treasury. It touched 5.04% earlier in the week, its highest level since 2007, then pulled back as oil prices eased and the Fed’s post-meeting messaging gave the market something firmer to price against. It sits near 4.98% this morning, up about four basis points on the day but roughly where it began the week. Mortgage rates follow that market, which is why the daily index has stopped climbing without meaningfully falling.
Freddie Mac’s weekly survey, published at noon yesterday, jumped 0.19 to 6.95% for the week of September 17. That is the largest weekly move in this run, and it is worth understanding why it looks so different from the daily index above. The survey collects lender quotes over a period and averages them, so it reports where the market was rather than where it is. Its jump this week is the survey catching up to a selloff the daily index recorded days ago. When the two numbers move apart, the daily reading is the one closer to what a lender would quote this morning.
What it means if you are…
Buying. One down day does not reset a budget. The index at 7.19% is still within a few basis points of its highest readings of the past year, and the practical response is the same as it was on Monday: get quotes from more than one lender on the same day, and compare rate and APR together rather than either alone. If a quote you received earlier this week is still in hand, it is worth asking whether it can be requoted, since pricing has moved twice since Tuesday.
Refinancing. The daily FHA and VA readings sit roughly 35 basis points below conventional right now, a wider gap than usual. For anyone carrying an FHA loan, that gap is the reason a streamline refinance is worth asking about even in a high-rate stretch: the comparison that matters is your current rate against today’s FHA number, not against the conventional headline. The refinance savings check on this site will show what a given rate change does to the payment and how long it takes to recover the cost.
Under contract. The Fed meeting is behind you and the calendar is quiet until the PCE inflation report on September 30, which removes the biggest scheduled source of volatility between now and month end. That does not mean rates hold still, but it does mean the next two weeks are more likely to be driven by oil and by Treasury supply than by a single headline. If your lock expires inside that window, now is the calmer moment to ask what an extension costs.
What a $400,000 loan looks like at today’s average
At 7.19% on a 30-year fixed, principal and interest on a $400,000 loan is approximately $2,712 per month (7.19% ÷ 12 = 0.599% monthly rate, over 360 payments). These figures exclude property taxes, homeowners insurance, flood insurance, mortgage insurance and any association dues; the actual monthly obligation will be greater.
Florida note
The VA reading above, 6.83% against 7.19% conventional, is worth a second look in a state with one of the largest veteran populations in the country. That spread is not a promotion; it exists because the loan carries a federal guaranty, which changes how the loan is priced in the secondary market. The other Florida-specific piece is separate from the mortgage entirely: the state offers additional homestead property tax exemptions to veterans with service-connected disabilities, and those are administered by the county property appraiser rather than by a lender. The two interact only in one place, the escrow estimate, since a lower annual tax bill lowers the monthly escrow payment. If that applies to you, the county property appraiser’s office is where to confirm what is available and what documentation it takes.
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.