The Federal Reserve does not set mortgage rates, and the central bank’s decisions don’t drive mortgage rates as directly as they do other products, like savings accounts and CD rates. However, the Fed does set borrowing costs for shorter-term loans in the U.S. by moving its federal funds rate. The federal funds rate can have a knock-on effect on 10-year Treasury bond yields, which is what most mortgage rates are tied to. Basically, the Fed does not directly set mortgage rates, but its policies can influence the financial markets and movers that do.