Mortgage Rates Today, September 21, 2026 (index as of Sep 18 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: 7.20% (+0.01 on the day) — Mortgage News Daily, as of September 18, 2026
- 15-year fixed: 6.83% (+0.02 on the day) — Mortgage News Daily, as of September 18, 2026
- FHA 30-year: 6.81% (unchanged on the day) — Mortgage News Daily, as of September 18, 2026
- VA 30-year: 6.82% (-0.01 on the day) — Mortgage News Daily, as of September 18, 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. The next survey publishes Thursday at noon Eastern.
Also today: the jumbo 30-year read 7.36% and the 7/6 ARM 6.75% 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 4.97%, down about three basis points this morning after touching 5.00% on Friday. 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
Friday was a quiet disagreement between two markets. Bonds sold off through the session and the 10-year Treasury finished up about seven basis points at roughly 5.00%, yet the daily 30-year index moved only a single basis point, to 7.20%. Mortgage rates usually track Treasury yields closely, and when they do not, it is normally because lenders had already built a cushion into their pricing during the preceding run. That is what appears to have happened here: the two weeks of increases through the middle of last week left room to absorb a bad day without passing it through.
This morning the pressure eased. The 10-year is back near 4.97%, helped by a fourth consecutive session of falling oil prices and by reduced tension around Iran, the same geopolitical premium that pushed energy costs and inflation expectations higher earlier this month. Falling oil matters to mortgage rates through inflation expectations rather than directly, which is why a few days of cheaper crude can show up as steadier bond yields.
The week ahead is light by design. Nothing was scheduled for this morning. Flash manufacturing and services readings arrive Wednesday, jobless claims and new home sales Thursday, and durable goods orders with the final consumer sentiment reading Friday. None of those typically moves rates the way a Fed decision or a CPI report does, which leaves Fed speakers and the oil market as the more likely sources of movement. The next major scheduled release is the PCE inflation report on Wednesday, September 30.
What it means if you are…
Buying. Three sessions of sideways movement after a sharp climb is the most workable condition a shopper gets. Pricing is not improving, but it is not sliding out from under a quote either, which makes this a reasonable week to collect offers from more than one lender and compare them properly, rate and APR together, rather than chasing a number that changes each morning. Quotes still expire, so ask each lender how long theirs stands.
Refinancing. FHA at 6.81% and VA at 6.82% sit about 38 basis points below the conventional reading, the widest that gap has been in this stretch. If you hold an FHA or VA loan, the useful comparison is your current rate against those numbers rather than the conventional headline that gets quoted in the news. The refinance savings check on this site will show what a given rate change does to the payment and how many months it takes to recover the cost of doing it.
Under contract. A quiet data week reduces the odds of a sudden repricing, but it does not eliminate them, since oil and Fed commentary are both live. The practical question has not changed: does your lock cover the closing date, and if it does not, what does an extension cost and who has to request it. Asking on a calm Monday is easier than asking in the final week.
What a $400,000 loan looks like at today’s average
At 7.20% on a 30-year fixed, principal and interest on a $400,000 loan is approximately $2,715 per month (7.20% ÷ 12 = 0.600% 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
Florida property tax bills go out on November 1, and the state’s standard discount schedule rewards paying early: 4% off in November, 3% in December, 2% in January, 1% in February, and the full amount in March. If your taxes are escrowed, the servicer normally pays in November to capture the 4%, which means the figure your escrow account was built to cover should already reflect that discount. This is worth a look for two groups right now. If you closed this year, your first escrow analysis will land in the months after that payment, and a shortage usually traces back to an estimate made before the county set the final rate. If you are closing in October, ask how your prorated taxes at closing and the servicer’s November payment fit together, because the same bill is being handled by two parties in the same month. The county tax collector’s site shows your parcel’s actual bill once it is issued.
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.