WASHINGTON -- Rates on 30-year mortgages, after having fallen to a seven-month low, rose last week for the first time in five weeks.

Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported last Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages rose to 6.37 percent, up from 6.30 percent last week, which had been the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Analysts attributed the increase to lingering fears in financial markets about inflation.

"Renewed concern that inflation is still an issue put some upward pressure on bond yields, which generally translates into higher interest and mortgage rates," said Frank Nothaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac.

Nothaft said that adjustable rate mortgages were especially sensitive to the increased inflation worries. The increase in those rates narrowed the gap between adjustable and fixed-rate mortgages.

Rates on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, a popular choice for refinancing, averaged 6.06 percent last week, up from 5.98 percent the previous week.

Rates on one-year adjustable rate mortgages jumped to 5.56 percent last week, up from 5.46 percent the previous week.

Rates on five-year adjustable rate mortgages rose to 6.10 percent last week, up from 6 percent the previous week.

A year ago, 30-year mortgages averaged 6.03 percent, 15-year mortgages stood at 6.06 percent, one-year ARMs were at 4.85 percent and the five-year ARMs were at 5.57 percent.