For his part, Lewis says mortgage rates are poised to drop in February, after climbing above 7% in January. “The direction of consumer prices will have the strongest effect on mortgage rates in February. The core inflation rate should decline further, giving bond yields and mortgage rates room to fall, but not by a lot,” says Lewis.

The rate on a 30-year fixed refinance decreased to 6.93% today, according to the Mortgage Research Center. The 15-year, fixed-rate refinance mortgage average rate is 5.84%. For 20-year mortgage refinances,