30-Year Loan Rates Climb to 5.72% - 2004-02-07
Mortgage rates around the country jumped this week but are still lower than they were a year ago.

The average rate on 30-year mortgages was 5.72 percent, up from 5.68 percent last week, Freddie Mac said Thursday in its weekly nationwide survey of mortgage rates.

For 15-year mortgages, a popular option for refinancing, rates were 5.03 percent this week, up from 4.97 percent last week. Rates for one-year adjustable mortgages increased to 3.61 percent.
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Updated Law Provides Protection From Creditors During Military Service - 2004-02-07
Borrowers who have been called up for military duty were provided with more financial and legal protections on Dec. 19, when President Bush signed the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

If you or a family member have been called into active duty, you should immediately notify all your lenders -- mortgage, credit cards, car loans. You must send them a copy of the military orders.
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