According to a recent Primerates.com survey of Washington DC mortgage rates offered by the largest area banks & credit unions, three Washington DC institutions offered rates below 4.00% on 30-year fixed-rate conforming loans in the Washington DC area for well-qualified borrowers. Capital One (www.capitalone.com) and Wells Fargo (www.wellsfargo.com) offered the lowest rates in the city with 3.88% and the Suntrust Bank (www.suntrust.com) offered rates at 3.99%. Five other institutions offered rates above 4.00% with the Citibank offering (www.citibank.com) offering one of the highest rates in the US with 4.38%.
While most lenders will push one of the three products on the list below, there are other options for the borrower. The 30-year fixed rate loan is the most popular since it offers the lowest monthly payment. The trade-off is paying a higher interest rate. For those who have a better cash flow, the 15-year product may be more suitable. The 15-year fixed rate loan will allow the borrower to pay more toward principal with each payment, and since it has a lower interest rate the overall amount of money that is paid in interest will be much lower. While many people steer clear of the 5/1 ARM it is beneficial to some borrowers. For instance, a person with a smaller loan (usually due to refinancing) may have the cash flow to pay off their ARM in 5 years or less. This person could save an extra 1% in interest payments over the 15-year product and never worry about the rate adjusting later in the life of the loan.
Top Washington DC Area Banks and Credit Unions |
As of |
30 Yr-Rate |
30 Yr- APR |
15 Yr- Rate |
15 Yr- APR |
5/1 ARM-IR
|
5/1 ARM-APR |
Capital One | 03/09/2012 | 3.88% | 3.97% | 3.25% | 3.29% | 2.63% | 2.69% |
Wells Fargo | 03/09/2012 | 3.88% | 4.04% | 3.25% | 3.54% | 2.13% | 3.02% |
Bank of America | 03/09/2012 | 4.00% | 4.15% | 3.50% | 3.72% | 2.88% | 3.27% |
Suntrust Bank | 03/09/2012 | 3.99% | 4.01% | 3.38% | 3.42% | 2.63% | 2.45% |
Branch banking & Trust | 03/09/2012 | 4.31% | NA | 3.35% | NA | NA | NA |
PNC Bank National | 03/09/2012 | 4.00% | 3.98% | 3.13% | 3.15% | NA | NA |
Citibank | 03/12/2012 | 4.38% | 4.58% | 3.75% | 4.02% | NA | NA |
HSBC Bank | 03/09/2012 | 4.00% | 4.13% | 3.38% | 3.60% | 3.00% | 3.37% |
Listed rates from banks, thrifts, and credit unions were listed on their websites on the date indicated for conforming loans with 0 points. Data is believed accurate at time of collection, can change without notice, and will vary based on an individual’s credit history. Contact a specific institution for current rates.
According to a recent Primerates.com survey of Washington DC mortgage rates offered by the largest area banks & credit unions, three Washington DC institutions offered rates below 4.00% on 30-year fixed-rate conforming loans in the Washington DC area for well-qualified borrowers. Capital One (www.capitalone.com) and Wells Fargo (www.wellsfargo.com) offered the lowest rates in the city with 3.88% and the Suntrust Bank (www.suntrust.com) offered rates at 3.99%. Five other institutions offered rates above 4.00% with the Citibank offering (www.citibank.com) offering one of the highest rates in the US with 4.38%.
While most lenders will push one of the three products on the list below, there are other options for the borrower. The 30-year fixed rate loan is the most popular since it offers the lowest monthly payment. The trade-off is paying a higher interest rate. For those who have a better cash flow, the 15-year product may be more suitable. The 15-year fixed rate loan will allow the borrower to pay more toward principal with each payment, and since it has a lower interest rate the overall amount of money that is paid in interest will be much lower. While many people steer clear of the 5/1 ARM it is beneficial to some borrowers. For instance, a person with a smaller loan (usually due to refinancing) may have the cash flow to pay off their ARM in 5 years or less. This person could save an extra 1% in interest payments over the 15-year product and never worry about the rate adjusting later in the life of the loan.
Top Washington DC Area Banks and Credit Unions |
As of |
30 Yr-Rate |
30 Yr- APR |
15 Yr- Rate |
15 Yr- APR |
5/1 ARM-IR
|
5/1 ARM-APR |
Capital One | 03/09/2012 | 3.88% | 3.97% | 3.25% | 3.29% | 2.63% | 2.69% |
Wells Fargo | 03/09/2012 | 3.88% | 4.04% | 3.25% | 3.54% | 2.13% | 3.02% |
Bank of America | 03/09/2012 | 4.00% | 4.15% | 3.50% | 3.72% | 2.88% | 3.27% |
Suntrust Bank | 03/09/2012 | 3.99% | 4.01% | 3.38% | 3.42% | 2.63% | 2.45% |
Branch banking & Trust | 03/09/2012 | 4.31% | NA | 3.35% | NA | NA | NA |
PNC Bank National | 03/09/2012 | 4.00% | 3.98% | 3.13% | 3.15% | NA | NA |
Citibank | 03/12/2012 | 4.38% | 4.58% | 3.75% | 4.02% | NA | NA |
HSBC Bank | 03/09/2012 | 4.00% | 4.13% | 3.38% | 3.60% | 3.00% | 3.37% |
Listed rates from banks, thrifts, and credit unions were listed on their websites on the date indicated for conforming loans with 0 points. Data is believed accurate at time of collection, can change without notice, and will vary based on an individual’s credit history. Contact a specific institution for current rates.