Average US mortgage rates decline slightly this week with 30-year dropping to 4.13 percent

Average U.S. mortgage rates declined slightly this week with rates remaining near historic lows.

Mortgage company Freddie Mac says that the nationwide average for a 30-year loan dipped to 4.13 percent, down from 4.15 percent last week. The average for the 15-year mortgage, a popular choice for people who are refinancing, edged down to 3.23 percent, compared with 3.24 percent last week.

Mortgage rates are below the levels of a year ago, having fallen in recent weeks after climbing last summer when the Federal Reserve began talking about reducing the monthly bond purchases it was making to keep long-term rates low.