Mortgage rates — week of September 20, 2026
By Conor Gaughan · Published September 20, 2026 · the same data pass behind our Sunday newsletter and video. Every number was live on the site when published.
What changed — and what to compare
A plain-language reading of this week’s frozen snapshot. We describe what the numbers show without guessing why markets moved.
The benchmark
Freddie Mac’s 30-year national average rose 0.19 points this week to 6.95%. It is 0.29 points higher than eight weeks ago.
The lowest posted credit-union rate
Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union posted 5.5%, 1.45 points below the national benchmark, with no points. It is subject to membership or geographic eligibility. Compare APR, fees, points, and eligibility before treating any headline rate as your likely quote.
The shopping gap
The lowest tracked big-bank rate was 7% at U.S. Bank, 1.50 points above the lowest credit-union rate. That spread is a reason to compare multiple Loan Estimates; the rate alone does not capture total loan cost.
The biggest lender move
Charter OAK Credit Union raised its posted 30-year rate by 1.25 points to 8.25%. In total, 60 tracked lenders moved by at least 0.05 points this week.
Best posted rate, by loan type
Lowest purchase rate active in our fresh-rate window when this snapshot was published, per product. Source dates are shown below.
The 30-yr conventional leaderboard
Best posted purchase rate per credit union, lowest first. The spread from best to worst is 2.75 points — that gap is the payoff for shopping around.
| Lender | Who can join | Rate | APR | Points | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union | TN | 5.5% | 5.716% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
| Center Parc Credit Union | GA | 6.125% | 6.333% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
| Dirigo Credit Union | ME | 6.25% | 6.332% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
| Credit Union 1 | AK | 6.375% | 6.575% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
| Downeast Credit Union | ME | 6.49% | 6.59% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
| Space Coast Credit Union | FL | 6.5% | 6.589% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
| Maine State Credit Union | ME | 6.5% | 6.553% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
| 802 Credit Union | VT | 6.5% | 6.538% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
| REV Credit Union | SC | 6.5% | 6.547% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
| Langley Credit Union | VA | 6.5% | 6.5% | 0 pts | 2026-09-20 |
Live version, filterable by your state: rateperch.com/credit-unions
Big banks, for comparison
Posted 30-yr conventional at the major banks, against the best credit union above.
| Lender | Who can join | Rate | APR | Points | vs best CU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank | bank | 7% | 7.185% | 0.97 pts | +1.50 |
| Wells Fargo | bank | 7% | 7.161% | 0.88 pts | +1.50 |
| Bank of America | bank | 7.25% | 7.472% | 0.67 pts | +1.75 |
Who moved this week
Changes of 0.05 or more against the same lender’s previous rate sheet.
What real borrowers got
No new borrower submissions were approved this week.
Got a quote this week? Add it to the dataset →
Next week’s report, before you think to look
This page updates every Sunday. Get the same numbers in your inbox — or set a refi alert and we’ll only email when rates cross your number.
Methodology: posted rates are read weekly from lender rate pages (purchase, as-published, points shown); the national benchmark is Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Snapshot frozen at publish time — for current numbers see your state’s page. Full methodology →