We’ve got some new data that shows why it is so important – especially now – to shop around for the best mortgage rates and terms.

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Just take a look at this graph (you can click on it to see a larger version). On the left side, the gray shaded area is pretty small but then it grows bigger on the right hand side. Those gray areas represents the so-called “coupon spread,” which has nothing to do with deals at grocery stores. Instead, it’s a sort of marker to see how mortgage rates that are being reserved for borrowers compare to the loans that are actually funded, or securitized. This essentially reflect the profits pocketed by these originators for your loan transaction.

What this means: Loan originators these days are making a pretty nice profit off of the loans– which means there is room to negotiate on your end for better …

The 4th of July is coming up, and that means plenty of bbqs, Independence Day weekend store sales, and fireworks. But as the fireworks and festivities are getting ready to start up, we’ve been busy watching rates go down.

Mortgage rates have once again hit historic lows. Yes, we know you’ve heard it before, but yesterday’s Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey reported that rates beat the previous week’s record lows. Freddie reported 30-year mortgage rates at an average of 4.58. 15-year mortgages were at 4.04 and the 5/1 ARM was at 3.79. (Freddie Mac factors their figures with .7 points)

And here at LendingTree, we also saw a decline in mortgage rates offered from the previous week for 30-year mortgages and 5/1 ARMS. In fact, today’s lowest rates being offered via the LendingTree network include 4.25% (4.45% APR) for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage.  That’s cause enough …

Starting this week, LendingTree’s number crunchers are sharing the lowest and average mortgage rates available within our network of lenders.

You can find our Weekly Mortgage Rate Pulse every Wednesday. On June 15, for example, lenders on the LendingTree network offered rates as low as 4.375 percent (4.48% APR) for a 30-year fixed mortgage, 3.75 percent (3.93% APR) for a 15-year fixed mortgage and 3.25 percent (3.35% APR) for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage (ARM).

For this same June 15 time period, the Weekly Mortgage Rate Pulse found the overall average rate offered by lenders on the LendingTree network to be 4.825 percent (5.03% APR) for 30-year fixed mortgages, 4.22 percent (4.47% APR) for 15-year fixed mortgages and 3.775 percent (3.90% APR) for 5/1 ARMs. Keep in mind when looking at the average rates that some people are getting higher or lower rates based on their credit …