BANKING & FINANCE - Aug. 8, 1992

Lower Mortgage Rates Hold: Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 8.06% this week, basically unchanged from the week before, according to a national survey by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. It was the first time in six weeks that rates had not declined. Last week they had dropped to 8.05%, the lowest level since July, 1973. On one-year adjustable rate mortgages, lenders were asking an average initial rate of 5.30%, down from 5.37% last week. The rates do not include add-on fees known as points.