Mortgage rates held steady for the week ended Sept. 24, with 30-year fixed-rate mortgage interest averaging 5.04 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

Last year at this time, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.09 percent.

For 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, the average rate was 4.46 percent - down slightly from the previous week, when it averaged 4.47 percent - the lowest it's been since Freddie Mac started tracking it in 1991. A year ago, 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rates averaged 5.77 percent.

The one-year adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 4.52 percent last week, down from 4.58 percent the week before, but up from last year at this time, when it was 5.03 percent.

Wednesday, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported that mortgage applications jumped 12.8 percent from the week of Sept. 18 - the strongest pace since late May, boosted by refinancing activity.