After rising for a month, the average interest rate offered for a 30-year fixed-rate home loan slipped to 5.07% this week from 5.21% last week, Freddie Mac said Thursday.

The retreat tracked the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which shot up in late March and then spiked to 3.99% early last week before falling back a bit. The 10-year T-note was yielding 3.85% on Thursday.

Freddie Mac, the government-controlled buyer and guarantor of home loans, asks lenders each Monday through Wednesday what combinations of rates and upfront lender fees they are offering. In this week's survey, the lenders were charging on average 0.6% of the loan balance in upfront fees on the 30-year loan.

Initial rates on fixed-rate 15-year mortgages, a popular option for people refinancing to pay off their homes more quickly, also dropped this week. They averaged 4.4%, down from 4.52%, with upfront fees averaging 0.7% of the loan balance.

Rates on adjustable mortgages fell slightly.

The Freddie Mac survey covers loans of $417,000 or less to borrowers with good credit and a down payment or home equity of at least 20%.

Mortgage experts say well-qualified borrowers who shop around may find slightly lower rates.