WASHINGTON— Rates on 30-year mortgages fell to the lowest level since mid-December as investors scrambled to the safety of bonds following last week's stock market turmoil.

Mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported yesterday that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.14 percent this week, down from 6.18 percent last week.

The decline pushed 30-year rates down to the lowest point since they averaged 6.13 percent the week of Dec. 21. Other rates dropped as well.

Analysts said the declines reflect the big 416-point plunge in the Dow Jones industrial average last week. That stock market turbulence sent investors fleeing to the safety of bonds, which meant that the yields on those bonds — which determine mortgage rates — fell.

The Freddie Mac survey found that other types of mortgage rates hit their lowest points for the year as well.

Rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, a popular choice for refinancing, fell to 5.86 percent, down from 5.92 percent last week.

Five-year adjustable-rate mortgages edged down to 5.90 percent, compared to 5.93 percent last week. One-year ARMs dipped to 5.47 percent, down from 5.49 percent last week.

The mortgage rates do not include add-on fees known as points. Thirty-year mortgages, 15-year and five-year mortgages all carried a nationwide average fee of 0.5 point, and one-year mortgages carried an average fee of 0.6 point.

A year ago, rates on 30-year mortgages stood at 6.37 percent, 15-year mortgages were at 6.00 percent, five-year adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 6.03 percent and one-year ARMs were at 5.45 percent.