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CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Rates on fixed-rate mortgages hit another low this week, after recent reports showed drops in existing- and new-home sales, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgage rates released Thursday.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.36% for the week ending Aug. 26, down from 4.42% last week and 5.14% a year ago. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.86%, down from 3.9% last week and 4.58% a year ago.

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Both fixed-rate mortgages are at record lows, after falling for nine of the past 10 weeks and shattering several previous record lows. Freddie Mac began tracking the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in 1971 and the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage in 1991.

The five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 3.56% this week, tying its own record low since Freddie Mac began tracking it in 2005. The rate is unchanged from last week, and it averaged 4.67% a year ago.

The one-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.52%, down slightly from last week when it averaged 3.53%. The ARM averaged 4.69% a year ago.

To obtain the rates, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and the one-year ARM required payment of an average 0.7 point, while the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage and the five-year ARM required an average 0.6 point. A point is 1% of the mortgage amount, charged as prepaid interest.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/story/print?guid=D1C31365-CAB2-4C92-B33F-1D8D78F6A194