Here's a look at the state of interest rates on five common consumer banking products and the latest rates from Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large banks and thrifts conducted Aug. 25, 2004.

Mortgages
Rate: 5.89 percent (30-year fixed)
Fixed mortgage rates crept higher this week as oil prices dropped. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased from 5.82 percent to 5.89 percent, reversing much of last week's decline. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage popular for refinancing rose to 5.25 percent. The average rate for the jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgage nosed higher, from 6.06 percent to 6.1 percent, while the average one-year adjustable rate mortgage jumped from 4.09 percent to 4.22 percent. After approaching the $50-per-barrel mark, oil prices retreated sharply to roughly $43 per barrel. The decline in oil prices was comforting to economic worrywarts, and money flowed into stocks from safe-haven Treasury securities, pushing bond yields higher. Mortgage rates are closely related to yields on long-term government bonds.

Certificates of deposit
Rate: 1.62 percent (1-year CD yield); 3.56 percent (5-year CD yield)
Yields on CD maturities of one year and less keep rising, while yields on longer maturities have slipped again. The average five-year CD yield is now 3.56 percent and has fallen three weeks in a row after reaching a 23-month high of 3.62 percent. The average six-month CD yield is now 1.21 percent, the highest in 18 months. The average one-year CD yield increased from 1.61 percent to 1.62 percent. CD yields will continue to inch higher, with longer maturities reversing course, as long as expectations of a September rate hike continue to hold. Those expectations will be further shaped by economic data over the next week.

Auto loans

Home equity products

Rates: 4.74 percent (line of credit); 6.91 percent (loan)

After rising for three consecutive weeks, the average rate on a home equity line of credit inched lower, from 4.75 percent to 4.74 percent. Some lenders are offering introductory rates as low as 1 percent for the first four months. Once the introductory period expires, the rate adjusts to some margin over the prime rate. But as the prime rate continues to rise during that four-month introductory period, the eventual "go-to" rate is also increasing. Fixed-rate home equity loans continue to inch lower week by week, with the average dropping to 6.91 percent from 6.92 percent. Unless long-term interest rates rise substantially in the near term, home equity loan rates will show little movement in either direction.

Credit cards

Rates: 12.68 percent (standard fixed); 13.78 percent (standard variable)
Variable credit card rates continue the upward march. The average standard variable rate increased 6 basis points to 13.78 percent. The average gold variable rate increased 2 basis points to 13.03 percent and the platinum variable-rate average increased 4 basis points to 10.89 percent. A basis point is one-hundredth of 1 percentage point. The fixed-rate card averages were unchanged in all three classes -- standard, gold, and platinum. The current fixed-rate averages are 12.68 percent, 13.42 percent, and 11.78 percent, respectively.