According to Freddie Mac's weekly forecast, this week's average fixed-rate mortgage at 3.97% is the lowest since November 2016.

"The 30-year mortgage rate fell 11 basis points this week to 3.97 percent, dropping below the psychologically-important 4 percent level for the first time since November," says Sean Becketti, chief economist at Freddie Mac. "Weak economic data and growing international tensions are driving investors out of riskier sectors and into Treasury securities. This shift in investment sentiment has propelled rates lower."

Rate overview for the week

• The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.97 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending April 20, 2017, down from last week's 4.08 percent. A year ago, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.59 percent.
• The 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.23 percent with an average 0.5 point, down from last week's3.34 percent. A year ago, the 15-year FRM averaged 2.85 percent.
• The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.10 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, down from last week's 3.18 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.81 percent.

© 2017 Florida Realtors

Air pollution in California cities is the worst in the United States, both for short-term and year-round pollution, finds new research published by the American Lung Association in its 2017 “State of the Air” report. Los Angeles, Bakersfield and Visalia topped all most-polluted lists in the report.

Each year the “State of the Air” reports on the two most widespread outdoor air pollutants, ozone pollution and particle pollution.

This 18th annual national air quality report card found that 125 million Americans, 38.9 percent, lived in counties with unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution in 2013-2015. This exposure places them at risk for premature death and other serious health problems such as lung cancer, asthma attacks, cardio- vascular damage, and developmental and reproductive harm.

“This year’s ‘State of the Air’ report is a testament to the success of the Clean Air Act, which has reduced air pollution in much of the nation,” said Harold Wimmer, national president and chief executive of the American Lung Association. “As a result, Americans’ lung health is far better protected today than it was before the Clean Air Act health protections began nearly five decades ago.”

“However,” Wimmer said, “this report adds to the evidence that the ongoing changes in our climate make it harder to protect human health. As we move into an ever warmer climate, cleaning up these pollutants will become ever more challenging, highlighting the critical importance of protecting the Clean Air Act.”

Wimmer is feeling defensive about the Clean Air Act because President Donald Trump has issued a budget slashing by 31 percent funding for the agency responsible for administering the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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