“The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage dropped this week, following lower yields on Treasury bonds.”

‘Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the 30-year loan slipped to 4.87 percent from 4.95 percent. It hit a 40-year low of 4.17 percent in November.”

“The average rate on the 15-year fixed home loan fell to 4.15 percent from 4.22 percent. It reached 3.57 percent in November, the lowest level on records dating back to 1991.”

“Mortgage rates tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. Investors are putting more money into Treasurys, concerned that Libya’s uprising will keep oil prices above $100 a barrel and hurt consumer spending. That has lowered those yields.”

“Low mortgage rates haven’t been enough to boost housing. Fewer homebuyers signed contracts to purchase homes in January, the second straight month of waning demand, the National Association of Realtors said Monday.”

“High unemployment and strict lending requirements have kept many people from buying homes. And a record number of foreclosures are forcing home prices down, making other potential buyers fearful that the market has yet to hit bottom. Most economists don’t expect home values to bottom out until midyear.”

“To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac collects rates from lenders across the country on Monday through Wednesday of each week. Rates often fluctuate significantly, even within a single day.”

“The average rate on a five-year adjustable-rate mortgage fell to 3.72 percent from 3.80 percent. The five-year hit 3.25 percent last month, the lowest rate on records dating back to January 2005.”

“The average rate on one-year adjustable-rate home loans edged up to 3.23 percent from 3.40 percent.”

“The rates do not include add-on fees, known as points. One point is equal to 1 percent of the total loan amount. The average fee for the 30-year fixed loan and 15-year fixed loan in Freddie Mac’s survey was 0.7 point. The average fee for the five-year ARM and the 1-year ARM was 0.6 point.”

“Mortgage rates are continuing their gradual climb upwards after reaching record lows. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 4.8 percent from 4.74 percent the previous week, Freddie Mac reports. The average on 15-year mortgage rates also rose slightly from 4.05 percent to 4.09 percent for the week.”

“In November, 30-year loans had reached a 40-year low at 4.17 percent and the 15-year mortgage rate was at 3.57 percent.”

“The average on the five-year adjustable-rate mortgages this week increased to 3.7 percent from 3.69 percent the previous week.”

“Meanwhile, the Mortgage Bankers Association says it expects mortgage lending to drop considerably in 2011, due to high unemployment, borrowers’ diminished credit coming out of the recession, and more lenders not willing to take on a high risk.”

“MBA says it expects new loans this year to decrease by 36 percent to its lowest level in more than a decade, falling to $966 billion in 2011 from $1.5 trillion this year.”

“Earlier in the week, MBA reported a drop in mortgage applications to the slowest refinancing activity in more than a year. Mortgage applications dropped 12.9 percent in the week ended Jan. 21, according to MBA’s seasonally adjusted index.”

“The index dropped 15.3 percent, which is the lowest level since January 2010. Refinancing activity has continued to decline since October from rising interest rates and tighter underwriting standards.”

1 BNP Paribas France Total Assets ($b) 2,964 Statement Date 12/31/09

2 Royal Bank of Scotland Group United Kingdom Total Assets ($b) 2,747 Statement Date 12/31/09

3 HSBC Holdings United Kingdom Total Assets ($b) 2,364 Statement Date 12/31/09

4 Crédit Agricole France Total Assets ($b) 2,243 Statement Date 12/31/09

5 Barclays United Kingdom Total Assets ($b) 2,233 Statement Date 12/31/09

6 Bank of America United States Total Assets ($b) 2,223 Statement Date 12/31/09

7 Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Japan Total Assets ($b) Statement Date 2,196 3/31/10

8 Deutsche Bank Germany Total Assets ($b) 2,162 Statement Date 12/31/09

9 JPMorgan Chase United States Total Assets ($b) 2,032 Statement Date 12/31/09

10 Citigroup United States Total Assets ($b) 1,857 Statement Date 12/31/09

11 Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) China Total Assets ($b) 1,726 Statement Date 12/31/09

12 ING Group Netherlands Total Assets ($b) 1,676 Statement Date 12/31/09

13 Lloyds Banking Group United Kingdom Total Assets ($b) 1,664 Statement Date 12/31/09

14 Mizuho Financial Group Japan Total Assets ($b) 1,637 Statement Date 3/31/10

15 Banco Santander Spain Total Assets ($b) 1,600 Statement Date 12/31/09

16 Groupe BPCE France Total Assets ($b) 1,482 Statement Date 12/31/09

17 Société Générale France Total Assets ($b) 1,475 Statement Date 12/31/09

18 China Construction Bank China Total Assets ($b) 1,409 Statement Date 12/31/09

19 UniCredit Italy 1 Total Assets ($b),338 Statement Date 12/31/09

20 Agricultural Bank of China China Total Assets ($b) 1,301 Statement Date 12/31/09

21 UBS Switzerland Total Assets ($b) 1,301 Statement Date 12/31/09

22 Bank of China China Total Assets ($b) 1,281 Statement Date 12/31/09

23 Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Japan Total Assets ($b) 1,281 Statement Date 3/31/10

24 Wells Fargo United States Total Assets ($b) 1,244 Statement Date 12/31/09

25 Commerzbank Germany Total Assets ($b) 1,216 Statement Date 12/31/09

26 HBOS United Kingdom Total Assets ($b) 1,165 Statement Date 12/31/09

27 Credit Suisse Group Switzerland Total Assets ($b) 1,001 Statement Date 12/31/09

28 Intesa Sanpaolo Italy Total Assets ($b) 900 Statement Date 12/31/09

29 Rabobank Group Netherlands Total Assets ($b) 875 Statement Date 12/31/09

30 Goldman Sachs United States Total Assets ($b) 849 Statement Date 12/31/09

31 Dexia Belgium Total Assets ($b) 832 Statement Date 12/31/09

32 Morgan Stanley United States Total Assets ($b) 772 Statement Date 12/31/09

33 Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) Spain Total Assets ($b) 771 Statement Date 12/31/09

34 Norinchukin Japan Total Assets ($b) 735 Statement Date 12/31/09

35 Nordea Bank Sweden Total Assets ($b) 731 Statement Date 12/31/09

36 China Development Bank China Total Assets ($b) 665 Statement Date 12/31/09

37 Fortis Bank Belgium Total Assets ($b) 627 Statement Date 12/31/09

38 Royal Bank of Canada Canada Total Assets ($b) 608 Statement Date 10/31/09

39 Banque Féderative du Crédit Mutuel (BFCM) France Total Assets ($b) 606 Statement Date 12/31/09

40 Danske Bank Denmark Total Assets ($b) 597 Statement Date 12/31/09

41 Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg Germany Total Assets ($b) 593 Statement Date 12/31/09

42 KfW Germany Total Assets ($b) 576 Statement Date 12/31/09

43 National Australia Bank Australia Total Assets ($b) 576  Statement Date 9/30/09

44 DZ Bank Germany Total Assets ($b) 560 Statement Date 12/31/09

45 Commonwealth Bank of Australia Australia Total Assets ($b) 539 Statement Date 6/30/10

46 Westpac Australia Total Assets ($b) 519 Statement Date 9/30/09

47 Hypo Real Estate Holding Germany  Total Assets ($b) 518 Statement Date 12/31/09

48 Toronto-Dominion Bank Canada Total Assets ($b) 517 Statement Date 10/31/09

49 Bayerische Landesbank Germany Total Assets ($b) 488 Statement Date 12/31/09

50 Bank of Communications China Total Assets ($b) 485 Statement Date 12/31/09

“Two free workshops will be held next week in South Florida for homeowners at risk of foreclosure.”

“The Obama administration’s Making Home Affordable Program, HOPE Now Alliance and NeighborWorks America will sponsor the events Tuesday, Nov. 16 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center and Thursday, Nov. 18 at the Hilton Miami Downtown.”

“Both workshops will be held from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and give homeowners a chance to meet face-to-face with their mortgage companies and a counseling agency to try to work out a deal that allows them to stay in their homes.”