According to HSH, the nation's leading survey of mortgage prices, reported that the overall average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) composite (including both conforming and jumbo loans) slipped by four basis points to 6.78%.

Mortgage rates have largely stabilized in the wake of the summer credit-market meltdown, albeit at what are still wide spreads in relation to benchmark 10-year Treasuries.

As a result, the spread between conforming and jumbo fixed rates continues to remain abnormally wide; which will likely continue to be the case for some time yet.