Articles Tagged With: FHA Mortgage News

September 13, 2017

Can I Get An FHA 203(h) Rehab Loan With Bad Credit?

Can I get an FHA 203(h) rehab loan with bad credit? That question is a serious one in the wake of natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Borrowers who are in the process of fixing bad credit, catching up on their payments, or trying to improve their overall credit situation have enough to manage without the added complication of trying to repair or salvage a home damaged in a natural disaster. What are the FHA loan rules for credit qualifications when applying for FHA 203(h) rehab loans in federally-declared disaster areas? FHA Loan Credit Requirements For 203(h) Rehab Mortgages The FHA loan handbook, HUD 4000.1, instructs lenders processing 203(h) rehab loans and refinance loans to be as flexible as possible with credit requirements. That flexibility is governed | more...

September 6, 2017

Can Military Members Apply For FHA Mortgages?

By Joe Wallace

Can military members apply for FHA mortgages? There are plenty of reasons why a currently serving military member, retiree, or veteran might want to explore FHA mortgage loan options. One reason? Borrowers who have purchased property with a VA mortgage but want to buy a new primary residence might choose to explore FHA loan options rather than try to have VA loan eligibility renewed. A borrower may wish to save their VA options for later, and turn to FHA mortgages instead thanks to some similarities between both programs including Streamline Refinance loan options. What do FHA loan rules say about military members and their ability to use FHA loans instead of VA mortgage loan options? One issue with FHA loans is the occupancy requirement. Borrowers are required to occupy the | more...

Credit Scores For An FHA Home Loan: When Low Credit Is Not Bad Credit

September 6, 2017

HUD Announces Disaster Relief Priorities For Survivors of Hurricane Harvey

By Bruce Reichstein

HUD has announced disaster relief priorities for survivors of Hurricane Harvey, and those priorities include long-term housing needs for those displaced by the disaster. According to a press release published on the HUD official site, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is the “lead federal coordinating agency for long-term disaster-related housing needs resulting from Hurricane Harvey. Federal partners are working closely with the Texas state-led housing task force, as well as other state, local, tribal and voluntary agencies, to meet the need for quality affordable rental homes.” Post-Harvey disaster recovery efforts are, as you can see from the quote above, far-reaching. Those who have been displaced may be eligible for FEMA assistance, and HUD urges all in hurricane affected areas to contact FEMA to determine what they may be | more...

November 16, 2016

Mortgage Loan Interest Rate Trends: Sharply Higher

By Joe Wallace

Since the election, mortgage rates have been on the move, and this week has seen a sharp increase in rates that we haven’t experienced in some time. In fact, rates are the highest they’ve been all year. It’s unclear at this point whether this is a short term reaction to current events, or if this indicates a longer-term trend. 30-year fixed rate conventional mortgages did something they haven’t done in a very long time-they broke into the four percent range, with a best execution 4.0% for the most well-qualified borrowers. Rates have flirted with the bottom end of the four percent range in the recent past, but managed to stay below four percent for a very respectable length of time. FHA mortgage loan interest rates are now at a best-execution | more...

April 21, 2016

Mortgage Loan Interest Rate Trends: Moving Higher

By Joe Wallace

Mortgage loan rates were on the rise on Wednesday. There have been scheduled economic data releases this week as well as a meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB), but market watchers point to bond activity as an important current factor for this week’s move higher. The ECB factor could still make a difference this week so it’s not safe to ignore overseas economic headlines when trying to make a lock or float decision in the short term. 30-year fixed rate conventional mortgages are between 3.625% and 3.75%, best execution. FHA mortgage loan rates are still in 3.25% territory but it’s not certain how long that best-execution rate will persist in an upward rate trend. Much could depend on how sharply rates move from here. As always, best execution rates | more...

November 3, 2015

FHA Energy Efficient Mortgages: New Standards For 2016

By Joe Wallace

In 2016, FHA borrowers looking to add Energy Efficient Mortgage loans to their transaction will have some new standards to use related to the energy efficient improvements they wish to add. Thanks to a new partnership between the FHA, HUD, and the Department of Energy, certain ratios will be increased in 2016, according to a press release found at the FHA official site. “FHAs existing EEH policy allows stretch ratios for homes that are built or retrofitted to the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). For standard FHA loans, debt-to-income (DTI) ratios are limited to 31 percent (front-end) and 43 percent (back-end).” “Under FHA policy for the EEH mortgage, these DTI ratios can be increased to 33 percent and 45 percent respectively. To increase opportunities for homeowners to achieve and | more...

October 23, 2015

HUD Proposes New Anti-Housing Discrimination Rule

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued a press release about a proposed new rule that would create new, formal and standardized claims procedures for discrimination complaints in connection with housing transactions. HUDNo.15-136 was released Wednesday, October 21, 2015, stating, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is issuing a proposed rule that would formalize standards for victims of harassment in housing to bring claims under the Fair Housing Act.” HUD’s proposed rule, called Quid Pro Quo and Hostile Environment Harassment and Liability for Discriminatory Housing Practices under the Fair Housing Act, was published in the Federal Register and is open to comments by the public for a limited time. “A home should be a refuge where every woman and man deserves to | more...

September 11, 2015

Signature Requirements For FHA Home Loans Under HUD 4000.1

By Joe Wallace

On September 14, 2015, the new HUD policy handbook on FHA single-family home loans goes into effect. There are plenty of changes, revisions and other statements of policy. Borrowers should know that certain changes have already gone into effect as of March, others won’t be effective until September 14. Once the handbook is launched officially, lenders will use it to refer to when in need of FHA loan policy or clarification of that policy. Consider one important issue for certain FHA loan applicants including military members and incapacitated borrowers–the use electronic signatures and/or of a Power Of Attorney in order to advance the FHA loan application. In HUD 4000.1, Chapter Two, Section A has a section titled, “Policy on Use of Electronic Signatures” which includes the following definition: “An Electronic | more...

August 20, 2015

FHA Loan FICO Score Requirements: Your Mileage May Vary

By Joe Wallace

One of the most common questions about FHA home loans centers around FICO scores. Many borrowers wonder why their FICO scores may or may not be good enough to get FHA loan approval. FHA loan rules have minimum FICO scores defined in HUD 4155.1, but the confusion comes when a borrower who knows these minimums gets told their scores aren’t high enough for maximum financing or loan approval, depending on circumstances. The reason for this is simple: FHA loan minimums aren’t necessarily the lender’s minimum standards for FICO scores. The lender is free to require higher FICO minimums as long as that requirement is enforced in compliance with federal law. The minimum FHA FICO score requirement of 580 or better for maximum financing isn’t always what the lender will require–your | more...

June 17, 2015

FHA Mortgage Loan Rates: Post-Fed, Moving Lower

By Joe Wallace

It’s been a tricky week for mortgage loan rates in general; rates seemed to be in a “defensive” position ahead of the highly anticipated Fed announcement which happened today–that announcement had major power to influence rates higher or lower depending on the contents of the statement and investor reaction to it. So what happened with rates today? According to several sources, certain markets that influence mortgage rates were weak in the morning, which sent some lenders to adjust their rates accordingly. Once the Fed had made its eagerly awaited announcement, rates began moving back the other way. Why? The Fed could have announced an interest rate hike today, which can and often does (when it occurs) have a negative effect on mortgage rates. But instead, the Fed declared that while | more...