Articles Tagged With: Down Payment

December 3, 2013

FHA Loan Downpayment and Rent Credit: A Reader Question

A reader asks, “If leasing a property that you intend to purchase can part of each month’s rent go towards the full downpayment amount?” The short answer to this question is, “It depends”. Much depends on whether or not such rent credit meets FHA loan requirements. The FHA loan rulebook, HUD 4155.1, states that rent credit could be considered a legitimate source of down payment funds, but only if certain standards are met. This information is found in HUD 4155.1, Chapter Five Section B, which says, “The cumulative amount of rental payments that exceed the appraiser’s estimate of fair market rent may be considered accumulation of the borrower’s cash investment.” FHA instructions to the lender in these cases include the following: “The endorsement package must include the • rent with | more...

November 21, 2013

Basic Information on FHA Refinance Loans

By Joe Wallace

When it’s time to refinance a home loan with an FHA loan, borrowers may wonder whether their situation qualifies for an FHA refinance, whether that’s a Streamline Refinance or a Cash-Out refinance loan. Obviously an homeowner with an existing FHA mortgage wouldn’t have a problem getting a streamline refinance loan, but what about those who have conventional or even VA loans? What do FHA loan rules say it takes to qualify for an FHA refinance? FHA loan rules on this subject are found in HUD 4155.1 Chapter Three Section A, under the heading, “General Information on Refinance Transactions”. It says in part: “A refinance transaction is used to pay off an existing real estate debt with the proceeds of a new mortgage for borrower(s) with legal title, and on the | more...

November 21, 2013

FHA Loans and “Non-Occupying Borrowers”

By Joe Wallace

We’ve gotten a variety of questions lately about the FHA loan rules for occupancy related to buying a single-family home. FHA loan rules state that a borrower must occupy the home purchased with a single-family FHA mortgage as his/her personal residence. But what about when two or more people are obligated on the FHA home loan? Are both required to meet this occupancy rule? FHA loan rules in HUD 4155.1 state that at least one person obligated on the FHA loan must live in the home as the primary residence. In cases where not all the borrowers will do so, the loan is classified differently and there are different rules that may affect the mortgage. According to HUD 4155.1, Chapter 2 Section B, “A non-occupying borrower transaction involves two or | more...

November 20, 2013

FHA Loan Occupancy Requirements: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “My mother works in Florida and wants to finance a home in Kentucky. Can she get a FHA loan? I’ll be the co-owner of the home, but not the co-borrower on the loan. I’ll be at he home all the time.” FHA loan rules for single family home loans require the borrower to certify that he or she will purchase the home for “personal occupancy”. The borrower is required to certify in writing that he or she will occupy the home within a specific amount of time after the loan closes. These rules are found in HUD 4155.1, Chapter Four Section B. It states, “At least one borrower must occupy the property and sign the security instrument and the mortgage note in order for the property to | more...

November 19, 2013

Credit Qualifying Information For FHA Loans: What Your Lender Needs

By Joe Wallace

It’s good to understand the process of FHA loan approval. Knowing what your lender is looking for on your credit application is an important part of being ready for an FHA mortgage application. When you fill out your credit forms, what does your lender do with all that data? When it comes to your credit information, the lender doesn’t just rely on what’s provided on your paperwork; FHA loan rules listed in HUD 4155.1 say the lender must request a credit report that consists of information from the three major credit reporting agencies in something called a Three Repository Merged Credit Report or TMCR. That data must include: –all inquiries made within the last 90 days –all credit and legal information not considered obsolete under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), | more...

November 6, 2013

HUD Settles Bank Of America Maternity Leave Discrimination Case

By Joe Wallace

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a recent press statement announcing, “Bank of America will pay $45,000 as part of Conciliation Agreements resolving allegations the lender discriminated against pregnant women seeking mortgage loans. HUD had alleged that the Bank of America refused to refinance the mortgages of two couples in California and Texas, because the women were on maternity leave.” We write a great deal of articles here about home loans, and one of the most important aspects of being an informed borrower is knowing your rights under the Fair Housing Act. As the FHA/HUD press release points out, refusing a mortgage or denying a borrower mortgage insurance because the applicant is pregnant or on family leave is a violation of the Fair Housing Act. “No lender | more...

November 5, 2013

FHA Loan Foreclosures: How Long Must a Borrower Wait To Apply Again?

By Joe Wallace

We’ve received a lot of reader questions in recent days about FHA loan eligibility issues, including queries on how long the borrower must wait after foreclosure on a previous FHA home loan before applying for a new FHA mortgage. FHA loan rules address this issue in HUD 4155.1 Chapter Four, Section A. In the section titled, “Eligibility for FHA-Insured Financing”, we find the following guidance to the lender under the subheading, “Waiting Period for Borrowers With Past Delinquencies, Defaults or Claims on FHA Loans”. It says: “If the borrower has had past delinquencies or has defaulted on an FHA- insured loan, there is a three-year waiting period before he/she can regain eligibility for another FHA-insured mortgage.” This waiting period is mandatory, though borrowers should ask their loan officer or contact | more...

November 4, 2013

FHA Loan Income Requirements: A Reader Question

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “I have a question about the FHA 3.5 percent down program. I know my scores are all in the high six’s lowest 637 highest 677 , I was told that I qualify for the loan but when push came to shove, I was told I needed my net income to be almost 4 times what i make now. What is or are the financial requirements to qualify for the program? Also, I am self employed and have been for over 5 years. I presume the rules vary from lender to lender, state to state, etc…I need to know if this lender purposely made up this story just to ‘show me the door’ so to speak.” We can’t speak for a lender’s intentions, so we’ll skip the last | more...

October 29, 2013

FHA Loans and Trust Income

By Joe Wallace

FHA home loan applications require the borrower to list income and job details so that the lender can accurately determine a borrower’s debt-to-income ratio. For this purpose, FHA loan rules say that only income that is likely to continue can be used–the borrower’s wages, tips, bonuses and other earnings may be counted if they meet FHA criteria for “stable and reliable” and “likely to continue”. One source of income for some borrowers involves a trust fund–can trust income be used as verifiable income for an FHA mortgage loan? The answer is yes, but only if the trust income meets FHA loan minimum standards as described in HUD 4155.1, which includes the following guidance to lenders when reviewing trust fund income listed on a borrower’s application, found in a section called | more...

October 25, 2013

FHA Loan Applications: What Borrowers Need To Have Ready

By Joe Wallace

When you’re getting ready to fill out an FHA loan application, knowing in advance what documentation you’ll need to get the process moving forward can be a big help. There are individual lender requirements that you’ll need to get directly from your loan officer, but the FHA loan rulebook (HUD 4155.1) lists some things the FHA requires as part of the process the lender uses to verify your employment, income, and credit data. The list of documentation includes (but may not be limited to) the following list found HUD 4155.1 Chapter One Section B: general mortgage credit analysis documents evidence of Social Security Number verification of deposit verification of employment (VOE) alternative employment documentation appraisal documentation. FHA loan rules in Chapter One say, “Lenders must obtain the most recent documents | more...