That is above the year-ago level of 4.80 percent as well as the record low of 4.71 percent in early December. Freddie Mac started the survey in 1971.

"Mortgagey rates on 30-year fixed loans have averaged about 5 percent over the first four months of this year, staying within a band of roughly a quarter percentage point and virtually matching 2009's annual average," Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist, said in a statement.

"These low rates have been helping to moderate house price declines over the course of the year," he said.

Mortgage rates are linked to yields on Treasuries and yields on mortgage-backed securities.

(Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

(Reuters Messaging: julie.haviv.reuters.com@reuters.net; email: julie.haviv@thomsonreuters.com; Tel: +1 646 223 6153))

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