WASHINGTON — Mortgage rates nationwide, which have been trending upward, dropped this week, offering some good news for prospective home buyers.

Mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported Wednesday in its weekly survey that rates on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.28 percent. That's down sharply from last week's rate of 6.37 percent, which was the highest in more than two years and marked the 10th week in a row that rates on 30-year mortgages rose.

Analysts attributed the decline in mortgage rates this week to reduced fears on the part of investors about inflation getting out of control.

"Lower oil prices — at least compared to the last several months — have helped to alleviate some of the inflation fears that the market has been experiencing lately," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac's chief economist.

Rates on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, a popular choice for refinancing a home mortgage, averaged 5.81 percent this week, down from 5.90 percent last week.

One-year adjustable rate mortgages dipped to 5.14 percent, compared with 5.20 percent last week. Rates on five-year hybrid adjustable rate mortgages averaged 5.75 percent this week, down from 5.86 last week.

The nationwide averages for mortgage rates do not include add-on fees known as points. Thirty-year and 15-year mortgages each carried an average fee of 0.6 point; one-year ARMs had a fee of 0.7 point.