FHA Mortgage Guide

According to Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, the FHA bill passed by the House offers the following changes and benefits when compared with the current program.

Lower Down Payments

Authorizes zero and lower down payment loans for borrowers that can afford mortgage payments, but lack the cash for a required down payment.

Housing Counseling

Authorizes more than double the current funding level for housing counseling, to help subprime homebuyers and borrowers late on mortgage loan payments.

Subprime Borrowers

Directs FHA to provide mortgage loans to higher risk (but qualified) borrowers, without authorizing unnecessary fee hikes on such borrowers.

Reverse Mortgages

Enhances the FHA reverse mortgage loan program to help seniors pay for health and other expenses, by removing the loan cap to avoid program shutdowns, raising loan limits, and by reducing the maximum fee lenders can charge for these loans.

Multifamily Loans

Raises FHA multifamily loan limits, so these loans can fully fund construction costs in high cost areas, and enhances sale of foreclosed FHA rental housing loans to localities, so that affordable housing can be maintained in local communities.

Affordable Housing Fund

Authorizes up to $300 million a year from the bill’s excess profits for affordable housing, instead of returning such funds to the General Treasury.

Higher Loan Limits

Adopts the Frank/Miller/Cardoza amendment that would raise FHA single family loan limits, which now bar loans above 95% of the median home price in each local area and shut FHA out of higher cost home markets. The amendment raises the FHA loan limit in each area to the lower of (a) 125% of the local area median home price or (b) 175% of the national GSE conforming loan limit.  The amendment also retains the bill’s provision for a nationwide FHA loan floor of 65% of the GSE conforming loan limit, and gives HUD authority to raise these loan limit amounts by up to $100,000 “if market conditions warrant.”

Check out these FHA resources for more information

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 2:31 pm and is filed under FHA, FHASecure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.