Lending desk · September 1, 2026
Two mortgage surveys, one borrower
Last updated:
Readers keep asking for “the” rate. This site carries two public surveys that do not have to match. Mortgage News Daily’s last cited daily 30-year is 6.81% as of August 28. Freddie Mac’s weekly 30-year is 6.66% as of August 27. A named borrower gets a third number: whatever a licensed originator will lock after credit, points, and lock period.
Why do the daily index and Freddie Mac disagree?
They are different samples on different calendars. The daily index is a weekday top-tier survey that can jump on a speech, as it did after Warsh on August 28. Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey is a weekly average. A 15-basis-point gap between 6.81% and 6.66% is not an error. It is two instruments.
Monday’s afternoon daily print, if it exists, is not in this note. Inventing it would mix a hope tape with a sourced tape. The next dated lending post will cite it with an as-of date.
What does a lock actually buy between now and the FOMC?
A lock buys a rate and points for a stated period on a stated file. It does not buy Friday’s index. The September 15–16 FOMC meeting is the policy date on the calendar. Payrolls on September 4 are the last monthly labor print before that meeting. Those events can move the next survey. They do not rewrite a lock that already closed.
Use the payment calculator to sketch principal and interest. Add tax and insurance. The result is not an approval. This desk will not take an application.
FAQ
Which number should I quote: 6.81% or 6.66%?
Name the series. 6.81% is the last cited Mortgage News Daily daily 30-year as of August 28, 2026. 6.66% is Freddie Mac’s weekly 30-year as of August 27. Neither is a personal APR.
Will Fast Home Loan Daily lock the lower survey for me?
No. This publication does not originate loans or take applications.
Sources: Mortgage News Daily daily rate index (30-year 6.81% as of August 28, 2026); Freddie Mac PMMS (weekly 30-year 6.66% as of August 27, 2026); Federal Reserve FOMC calendar (September 15–16, 2026 meeting).