Mortgage rates fell for the second straight week.

The average 30-year fixed-rate declined 5 basis points, to 6.39 percent. A basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.

The average 15-year fixed -- a popular option for refinancing -- fell 13 basis points, to 6.08 percent. The average jumbo 30-year fixed dropped 6 basis points, to 7.7 percent.

The one-year adjustable-rate mortgage rose 9 basis points, to 5.94 percent. The popular 5/1 ARM slipped 4 basis points, to 6.42 percent.

The Mortgage Bankers Association survey of mortgage activity was delayed because of the Veterans Day holiday.

However, the MBA did released statistics showing that borrowers who took out mortgages in the first six months of 2008 were increasingly likely to choose fixed-rate products over adjustable-rate mortgages.

Meanwhile, the government share of mortgage originations nearly doubled, reaching 11.8 percent during the first half of 2008, when compared to the second half of 2007.

-- Chris Kissell

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