What are today's mortgage interest rates: May 21, 2026?

MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money What are today's mortgage interest rates: May 21, 2026? We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Matt Richardson Matt Richardson Sr. Managing Editor, Managing Your Money Matt Richardson is the senior managing editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com. He writes and edits content about personal finance ranging from savings to investing to insurance. Read Full Bio Matt Richardson May 21, 2026 / 10:25 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Mortgage interest rates have noticeably changed for buyers and homeowners looking to refinance. Grace Cary/Getty Images There was cautious optimism in the early days of 2026 that the interest rate cuts that marked the final months of 2025 would continue into the new year. While many didn't anticipate a rate cut from the Federal Reserve in January, borrowers were hopeful that additional cuts would be issued later in the year. But that hasn't happened so far and, in fact, with inflation now surging, a pause in the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy may only be broken when the central bank moves to increase rates – not cut them.This is discouraging for a wide variety of borrowers, but especially so for homebuyers and homeowners looking to refinance. Both groups have been contending with elevated rates for years now, punctuated only by a brief and temporary decline in 2025. And while there have been times in recent months where borrowers could have secured a rate under 6%, that's largely changed now. Still, each borrower's financial circumstances are different, and some may still be able to fit today's rates into their purchase or refinancing plans. To better determine if it makes sense to act now, it helps to know where mortgage interest rates stand currently, as of May 21, 2026. See...