Where to find mortgage market data.

Choose the source for the question.

Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey gives rate averages and explains its method. Use it to understand the survey. Do not use it to quote terms to a borrower. A national average cannot tell you what a lender will offer on a specific file.

FRED, from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, hosts a historical mortgage rate series sourced from Freddie Mac. Read its notes on units, frequency and method changes. MBA’s research directory points to reports. Open the relevant report to support a statistic; the directory alone is not evidence.

• Freddie Mac PMMS: published survey results and methodology.
• FRED: historical series, units and source notes.
• MBA research: locate the report that matches the business question.

Read the notes before using the number.

Record the period measured as well as the release date. Does a chart show applications, originations, balances or something else? Who does it cover? Did the collection method change? Similar labels do not prove two measures can be compared.

A fictional team note could say: “This chart shows the source’s national survey average for the labeled period. It gives context for our discussion. It is not a quote.” That helps readers understand the chart’s limits before using it.

Separate market context from operating decisions.

A market change may prompt a discussion about cover. It does not prove your team’s workload. Check upcoming tasks, staffing and blocked steps before deciding. Do not turn a national trend into a promise about demand or processing needs.

Before using a chart in public content, keep the source link, explain the measure and check reuse terms. Open the source for its current release and record when you checked it. Keep this reading guide separate from a rate table that can go stale.