Mortgage rates rise for fourth straight week

Mortgage rates continued their upward trajectory this week, climbing for a month straight while further pushing down demand in the stalled housing market.Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage surged to 6.54% from last week's reading of 6.44%. The average rate on a 30-year loan was 7.79% a year ago."The continued strength in the economy drove mortgage rates higher once again this week," sai