Source: E. Scott Reckard, Los Angeles Times ( Free Registration )

Mortgage rates continued to drift higher this week, according to the latest survey from Freddie Mac, which reported Thursday that the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate loan was 5.03%.

That was up from a flat 5% a week earlier and from an all-time low of 4.87% in the week that ended Oct. 8. The surveys assumed that borrowers with good credit were making a down payment of at least 20%. Borrowers this month have paid on average 0.7% of the loan amount in upfront charges.

Rates on shorter-term fixed-rate mortgages and adjustable-rate loans also rose. For 15-year fixed-rate loans, often used by borrowers seeking to pay off their mortgages faster, the rate this week averaged 4.46% with 0.6% of the balance paid in lender fees and points, up from 4.43% with similar upfront costs last week.

Read Full Article: Mortgage rates’ upward trend continues