Who's Hurt by Mortgage-Rate Jump

Inflation concerns may have made mortgages less affordable in the past week or two.

The interest rate for 30-year fixed rate mortgages surged to 6.32% with 0.7 points last week (up from 6.09% and 0.6 points). This represents the highest rate for 30-year fixed loans since October, according to the latest Freddie Mac(FRE Quote) Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

In his weekly commentary, Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist, attributed the surge in rates to inflation concerns expressed by a number of Federal Reserve officials, most notably Chairman Ben Bernanke and Vice Chairman Donald Kohn.

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