Average rate on 30-year mortgage slips to 4.32 percent

Average U.S. rates for fixed mortgages slipped this week as new data showed a decline in home prices in November and a drop in new homes sales last month.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average for the 30-year loan fell to 4.32 percent from 4.39 percent last week. The average for the 15-year loan eased to 3.40 percent from 3.44 percent.

Mortgage rates have risen about a full percentage point since hitting record lows roughly a year ago.

The average fee for a 30-year mortgage was unchanged at 0.7 point. The fee for a 15-year loan declined to 0.6 point from 0.7 point.

The average rate on a one-year adjustable-rate mortgage edged up to 2.55 percent from 2.54 percent. The fee slipped to 0.4 point from 0.5 point.

ON THE MOVE

Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel has announced two new associates to the firm: 

>> Lynda L. Arakawa as a litigation associate. She is a former reporter for The Hono­lulu Advertiser and was previously serving as a law clerk to Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.

>> Nathan H. Hall is a trusts and estates associate. He externed at the Office of Chief Counsel for
the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C., and served as an attorney at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel in San Francisco.

Associa Hawaii has named Sandra Kappe as an account executive at its Kauai branch. She previously served 25 years in information technology, including as a senior leader in the service management and delivery business.

SHIP AHOY!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: