30-Year Mortgage Rates Higher - 2004-04-03
U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rates saw their biggest one-week jump since early December, but the increase is unlikely to slow the torrid housing market in 2004, mortgage finance company Freddie Mac said on Thursday.

Freddie Mac said 30-year mortgage rates averaged 5.52 percent in the latest week, up from 5.40 percent a week ago.
Read the full story at Reuters.com

Meet Mr Average: worth £82,400 and a hostage to house prices - 2004-04-03
The average Briton is becoming wealthier. But, like the characters in the television comedy series My Family, he or she is tight on cash and increasingly reliant on the value of his or her home to shore up creaking finances.

The rise in house prices is showing no sign of abating. Figures released by the Halifax, the UK's largest mortgage lender, show that prices increased by 2.2 per cent during March, making an annual increase of 18.5 per cent and putting the average cost of a home in Britain at £151,467.
Read the full story at Independent