By HOLDEN LEWIS, bankrate.com

Mortgage rates will remain low, getting a home loan will continue to take a long time and refinancers will be tempted by zero-closing cost mortgages.

Those are some of the trends mortgage industry insiders may see as the year closes out.

Mortgage rates have dipped to modern record lows this fall. Back in the spring, economists warned that rates would be rising by now.

At least four mortgage companies have suspended foreclosure actions while they straighten out irregularities in legal paperwork. But the halts in foreclosures aren't happening everywhere. The moratoriums primarily are in states that employ judicial foreclosure.

Foreclosures are leading to home-buying deals -- half off the appraised value -- as the federal government sells houses it has repossessed.

A loan modification is often the last, best hope for millions of Americans in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure.

The way you prepare for and execute the application process will have a huge impact on how successful your request is likely to be.

The Federal Reserve has proposed a rule that would give consumers the right to cancel mortgage applications within three days and get refunds of fees.

New York and Texas remain the most expensive states for mortgage closing costs, according to Bankrate.com's annual mortgage-fee survey.

In last year's closing-costs survey, Texas was most expensive and New York was second. This year, the order was reversed. In four of the past five years, the two states have occupied the two top spots.

The summer has seen the lowest mortgage rates in generations. But there's a problem for homeowners who want to grab those great rates through a refinance.

Roughly one-quarter of homeowners with a mortgage are underwater, owing more than their homes are worth, according to real estate analytics company CoreLogic.

Mortgage rates will remain stubbornly unpredictable, and jumbo mortgages will be easier to get as summer fades and fall begins.

Those are two of five projected trends in mortgages and real estate over the next quarter, according to mortgage professionals.

Why refi? There are a number of reasons to refinance a mortgage. You probably can think of the first one -- to get a lower mortgage rate.

A mortgage-refinance boom is in full swing, as homeowners take advantage of record low rates by refinancing home loans.

But a home-loan "refi" is more complicated than it was a few years ago. Home values are lower and paperwork requirements are higher. It's easy to make mistakes while refinancing a mortgage.