There has been a lot of news lately about the current credit crisis and the steps the Federal Reserve and the Bush Administration are taking to try and ease it.

And whether you agree or not with the decisions made over the past few weeks, there's one thing for certain -- the news is having an affect on mortgage rates.

Bankrate.com says the benchmark 30-year fixed-rate stands at about 5.96%, according to their latest survey. This is up from just a few weeks ago, but is still below the average from a year ago.

So what's this mean for refinancing your home loan? Or getting a loan for your new home?

Click here for more analysis from Bankrate.com