NATION

NATION

Mortgage rates decline on loans for homes

WASHINGTON — Rates for 30-year home loans edged down this week, remaining close to record lows reached over the spring.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.08 percent, down from 5.14 percent a week earlier, mortgage company Freddie Mac said Thursday. Rates, though above the record low of 4.78 percent hit in the spring, are still at attractive levels for people looking to buy a home or refinance.

The average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 4.54 percent, from 4.58 percent last week, according to Freddie Mac.

OHIO

OfficeMax closing Mentor customer-call center

MENTOR — Office supplies retailer OfficeMax has decided to close a customer-call center in suburban Cleveland, affecting more than 200 workers.

Employees at the facility in Mentor learned Tuesday that their last day would be Oct. 31. The company says it will provide severance packages to workers who are eligible.

Jennifer Rook, a spokeswoman for Naperville, Ill.-based OfficeMax Inc., calls the shutdown of the call center a business decision made in response to a “very tough economic environment.” OfficeMax will continue to operate four other call centers, in Illinois, Wyoming and Virginia.

Associated Press