Les Christie, On Thursday September 15, 2011, 3:25 pm

Mortgage rates hit yet another record low this week amid ongoing economic concerns both at home and in Europe.

The average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate loan fell to 4.09% this week, it’s lowest level in 60 years, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac. Last week, the 30-year fixed averaged 4.12%. The average rate for a 15-year fixed mortgage — a popular option among those who wish to refinance — sunk to 3.30%, down from 3.33% last week, the mortgage giant said.

“Continued investor concerns over the state of the European debt markets kept U.S. Treasury bond yields low and allowed mortgage rates to ease once more this week,” said Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac in a statement.

The news is good not only for those looking to buy a home, but also for homeowners with existing mortgages carrying higher rates. There are more than 8 million homeowners with mortgage issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who have loans carrying interest rates of 6% or more, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The average interest rate of mortgages outstanding in the second quarter was 5.28 percent, according to Nothaft. By refinancing into today’s 30-year fixed mortgage, homeowners with a $200,000 loan could shave almost $1,715 a year in interest payments.

However, not every homeowner or buyer would qualify. Many lenders require borrowers to have stellar credit and large down payments before they will give them mortgages with favorable rates.

Will rates continue to drop?

“It would be hard to continue to forecast record lows week after week,” said Keith Gumbinger of HSH Associates, a publisher of mortgage information. “But there is some expectation that the Federal Reserve will pull something out of its hat next week to make interest rates go down.”

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