Articles by: Joe Wallace

Joe Wallace has been specializing in military and personal finance topics since 1995. His work has appeared on Air Force Television News, The Pentagon Channel, ABC and a variety of print and online publications. He is a 13-year Air Force veteran and a member of the Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association. He was Managing editor for www.valoans.com for (8) years and is currently the Associate Editor for FHANewsblog.com.

Connect with Joe:

December 21, 2022

New Mortgage Rules And Your FHA Home Loan

By Joe Wallace

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has weighed in on certain mortgage lending practices with an eye on reform; in 2022 it moved to require lenders to enhance loan approval policies related to a type of mortgage known as bank statement lending. These are loans include rules that allow the lender to review the borrower’s bank statements as a source of income for the borrower. Bank statement mortgage loans are, according to the publication National Mortgage News, offered to about 100 thousand borrowers per year, worth up to $25 billion in loans. In October of 2022, CFPB revised its regulations for these mortgages. Lenders are now required by the CFPB to confirm the data on bank statements used to verify income. Specifically, the lender is required to determine that the | more...

December 19, 2022

FHA Adds HECM Relief For Those Financially Affected By COVID

By Joe Wallace

Some homeowners might be surprised to learn about new financial relief for the financial effects of COVID-19, but the FHA and HUD made an announcement in the last month of 2022 — there are new options for those who struggle financially due to COVID. Specifically, there are new options for relief for qualifying senior citizens trying to keep their homes while struggling to make property tax payments on homes securing Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) loan payments. The issue for these homeowners? One requirement of the FHA HECM program is that the borrower stay current on all so-called property charges such as property taxes and homeowner’s association dues where applicable. In ordinary circumstances, if an FHA HECM borrower does not stay current on these charges, they face loss of the | more...

December 14, 2022

Why Was My FHA Loan Application Denied In 2022?

By Joe Wallace

Are you in the process of getting ready for a home loan? There are plenty of home loan industry trends to pay attention to when you are in the planning stages of buying a home with an FHA mortgage. Among them are mortgage interest rates, home sale prices, and then there are the costs associated with the loan such as appraisals and title searches. Many industry players observe these trends. One of them is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which examines a variety of issues related to buying and owning a home on behalf of consumers. CFPB Reviews Mortgage Data In 2022 CFPB has published observations about the first and second quarters of 2022. Among those observations? The causes of home loan application denial during those periods. What were | more...

December 12, 2022

Housing Market And Home Equity: What You Need To Know In 2023

By Joe Wallace

The mortgage industry has been coming down from the highs of summer, 2022. Fed actions to raise interest rates had an effect on the housing market (indirectly–the Fed sets the rates on federal loan funds, not mortgage loan interest rates) and as a result, conditions have started to cool to the point where mortgage rates actually dropped in December. Slowing Demand As the housing market cools, a course correction for home equity is an important factor to think about. According to certain mortgage industry sources, there are plenty of indicators that home equity is indeed starting to come back down. Lower demand and lower prices can translate into lower equity. Consider what the publication Mortgage Industry News printed about a report by CoreLogic in 2022: By the end of the | more...

December 7, 2022

Mandatory or Optional? FHA Home Loan Issues

By Joe Wallace

What is mandatory and what is optional when you apply for an FHA home loan? You will find a lot of advice on the internet about buying a home. You can haggle over the home sale price, for example, and negotiate things like seller concessions. But what about the not-so-obvious details? What is required and what is not? Mortgage insurance on your FHA mortgage, for example, is mandatory. To a point. All FHA forward mortgages (also known as purchase loans) require you to pay for mortgage insurance on your FHA home loan each month. That said, it may not be mandatory for the full duration of the mortgage. That may depend on how much you put down and the term of the loan you may have the option to cancel | more...

December 5, 2022

FHA Home Loan Tips: What To Do, What Not To Do

By Joe Wallace

If you are new to the home-buying process, there are some definite things to do and things NOT to do when preparing for your mortgage. Some of these areas may seem obvious, but you might be surprised at the number of people who don’t give themselves enough planning and saving time ahead of the home loan process. FHA Loan Tips: Start Planning Early The moment you realize you want to purchase a home using an FHA mortgage, it is time to begin looking at your finances to see how a new budget can be made. This is because buying a home (no matter what kind of loan you are using) can be an expensive process. You want to start saving immediately for the down payment, but also for the costs | more...

November 30, 2022

Budgeting For Your Home Inspection, Appraisal, and Compliance Inspection

By Joe Wallace

When you plan to buy a home with an FHA loan you should be thinking about how much you will need to save for expenses paid upfront, such as appraisals and inspections. You may not, as a first-time home buyer, have the experience to anticipate all expenses you need to pay in the coming months. But there are typical costs you can plan and save for. Home Inspection Costs Did you know there’s no fixed price for home inspections? There are no national cost guidelines or restrictions for this service; home inspection costs will vary based on the housing market and inspections are paid for by the borrower independently of the rest of the home loan process. Home inspections may cost somewhere between $300 and $500 depending on location. Your | more...

November 28, 2022

FHA Loan Approval Rules For First-Time Home Buyers

By Joe Wallace

FHA home loans are often misunderstood. Some think they are need-based loans like some offered via the USDA program, while others believe FHA mortgages can only be approved for first-time home buyers. Typically, we write that FHA mortgages do not actually offer extra perks for first-time buyers, but there is a new exception to that notion you should know about. What kind of exception? In 2022, HUD made a policy change and issued a mortgagee letter announcing that in 2022 the FHA would allow participating lenders to consider positive rental history as a factor in home loan approval. Typically, such rental verification is not a part of most credit reports provided for FHA-insured products that require credit approval and “when provided,” rental verification, “generally exists as separate documentation” the lender | more...

November 23, 2022

FHA Loan Program Rule Changes: Flood Insurance Coverage

By Joe Wallace

Some borrowers want to buy homes in the desert, some want to buy homes that are located in areas prone to flooding. But not all flood zones are the same; some feature an elevated risk of flooding and if you buy a home with an FHA loan in certain flood zone hazard areas you are typically required to carry special flood insurance. But new changes to the FHA home loan program make it possible for homeowners to seek private flood insurance instead of the one FHA-approved option previously available. Prior to the new rule the only insurance option possible was through the National Flood Insurance Program. In the final quarter of 2022, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that starting in December the FHA loan program allows homeowners | more...

November 21, 2022

Housing Market Improvements And Your FHA Home Loan in 2023

By Joe Wallace

Are you looking at 2023 and considering your home loan options to buy a house with an FHA mortgage? There is news from the housing sector that could mean improved conditions for a home loan in the new year. While it’s true that changes in the housing market don’t happen overnight, some mortgage blogs and news outlets are reporting that the typical time houses spend on the market is increasing. Thats a good sign considering how competitive the housing market was last summer. Is this the only indication that conditions may be improving for house hunters? Demand for houses seems to be falling and home loan interest rates are showing signs of gradual improvement. This could make 2023 a much better time to shop for a house than the summer | more...