Articles Tagged With: FHA Reverse Mortgage

September 28, 2015

FHA HECM Loans and Death Of The Primary Borrower

We get many questions about FHA HECM loan rules. Some of those questions have to do with the legal rights and/or obligations associated with HECM loans for primary borrowers and what happens to the non-borrowing occupant if the borrower dies (in terms of ownership and occupancy of the property). Here’s a recent question that showed up in the comments section: “Several years ago my father and I took out a Reverse Mortgage on our home. He had to be the primary borrower because of his age and I was and still am not 62. I am a co-owner of the house and my name is on the deed. I had to go through the counseling and I had to sign all papers that he signed. My question is when something | more...

August 3, 2015

FHA Reverse Mortgages and the FHA Back To Work Progam

By Joe Wallace

A reader got in touch with us recently about the FHA’s Back To Work program, which was announced in 2013 as a way for lenders to offer FHA mortgage loans to people who have had financial hardship in the past that might otherwise disqualify them from a home loan. Back To Work requires the borrower and lender to work together to document the causes of a pre-foreclosure sale, foreclosure, bankruptcy or other financial hardship to show that the issue was circumstantial and not representative of a borrower’s actual credit worthiness. The following guidance to lenders is from FHA Mortgagee Letter 13-26: “As a result of the recent recession many borrowers who experienced unemployment or other severe reductions in income, were unable to make their monthly mortgage payments, and ultimately lost | more...

When Is An FHA Loan Better Than A Conventional Loan?

July 14, 2015

FHA Refinance Loans: With Appraisal Or Without Appraisal?

By Joe Wallace

For borrowers examining their refinance loan options, it’s important to know what kind of refinance loan you want so you can plan ahead for expenses that might be related to the loan such as appraisals and up-front closing costs. Some borrowers assume that certain types of refinancing never require an appraisal, but this is not true–FHA loan rules for Streamline Refinancing, for example, say that no appraisal is required by the FHA but the lender may ask for one regardless. This surprises some applicants, and we get a fair number of inquiries asking if certain lender policies (including “appraisal required” streamline loans) are legitimate. “My understanding is that the FHA rules don’t require an appraisal for this refinance loan. My lender says I will need one for my streamline refinance | more...

July 10, 2015

FHA Loans and Counseling Services: The Rules

By Joe Wallace

There are some cases where a borrower may seek out housing counseling on their own, and others where the applicant is required to do so as a condition of FHA loan approval. FHA foreclosure avoidance programs may require housing counseling, HECM loans definitely require the applicants to get required counseling sessions, and borrowers may choose a pre-purchase counselor based on a referral from the FHA/HUD. In some cases, such as with foreclosure avoidance, the counseling is free. In other cases there may be fees associated with the sessions that the borrower is expected to pay for. In such cases, the FHA loan program has rules that dictate how the counseling is to be carried out, how the billing is to be done, and what services the borrower must get from | more...

June 19, 2015

FHA Amends HECM Loan Policy To Help Non-Borrowing Spouses

By Bruce Reichstein

After many changes to FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) rules, another round of changes has been announced. The FHA HECM loan program has probably changed more in the last year or so than any other single-family FHA loan program, and many of the changes we’re seeing now address important issues related to what happens when the primary borrower dies and/or the HECM loan is about to be declared due in full. According to HUDNo.15-073, the FHA has “issued a revised policy under its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Program giving FHA-approved lenders expanded options to allow eligible non-borrowing spouses the potential to remain in their home following the death of the last surviving borrower.” In 2014 there were changes in FHA HECM policies, “to allow for the deferral of | more...

May 29, 2015

FHA HECM Loans With Set-Aside Accounts For Property Taxes

By Joe Wallace

The FHA and HUD have been making a number of revisions to the FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program (FHA HECM) including changing the nature of payouts based on the type of HECM loan (adjustable rate or fixed rate) and many other alterations. One of the most recent changes is how the FHA expects participating lenders to deal with unpaid property taxes on an FHA HECM, which technically can result in the loan being declared due and payable. Some lenders and borrowers go into a HECM loan with an arrangement to have a set-aside account created specifically for the purpose of paying property taxes to avoid problems later down the line. But what happens if a HECM borrower lets that set-aside account lapse? When the property taxes begin to go | more...

May 27, 2015

FHA HECM Loan Rules: When Can A HECM Loan Be Declared Due In Full?

By Joe Wallace

There have been many changes to the FHA HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage) program in recent months. If you are a qualified HECM loan applicant exploring your options now after having researched them a year or two ago, it’s likely you will need to re-familiarize yourself with the FHA HECM rules and regulations as many have had important changes made. HECM loans still feature the usual conditions–failing to use the home as the primary residence, for example, can still result in the HECM loan being declared due in full. That hasn’t changed, but some other conditions that trigger a due-in-full demand have. One such change involves when a HECM loan can be declared due in full because of failure to meet HECM loan “property charge” requirements. Did you know that | more...

May 5, 2015

FHA HECM Loans: Basic Details You Should Know

By Joe Wallace

If you are a qualified borrower aged 62 years or older and either own your home or are very close to doing so, you may be eligible for an FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (also known as a HECM loan). HECM loans, also known as reverse mortgages, feature money back to the borrower and no mortgage payments. The HECM loan normally comes due and payable when the borrower dies or sells the home. According to the FHA official site, the type of homes eligible are strictly residential in nature with an occupancy requirement for the borrower: “To be eligible for the FHA HECM, your home must be a single family home or a 2-4 unit home with one unit occupied by the borrower. HUD-approved condominiums and manufactured homes that meet | more...

April 30, 2015

Recent Changes to FHA HECM Due And Payable Rules

By Joe Wallace

Recently the FHA and HUD announced further changes to the FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage or HECM loan program. There have been a number of alterations and adjustments to the FHA HECM loan program in the last year or so, and the new changes further clarify the rules for certain aspects of the HECM program. In this case many of the rule changes have to do with the procedures for declaring a HECM loan due and payable. According to FHA Mortgagee Letter 2015-10, “For HECMs that are due and payable, the Due Date is the date when: –the mortgagee notifies the Secretary that the mortgage became due and payable without HUDs approval; or–the Secretary approves the mortgagees request to call the mortgage due and payable. For HECMs with a Case | more...

April 29, 2015

FHA Updates HECM Loan Due And Payable Policies

By Joe Wallace

The FHA and HUD have announced more changes to the FHA Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) loan program. A recent FHA Mortgagee Letter, “Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Due and Payable Policies”, and affects all FHA HECM loans that become due and payable on or after July 1, 2015. The updates affect a variety of areas including: –a requirement for mortgagees to provide HUD notice of a HECMs Due and Payable status;–a requirement for mortgagees to provide HUD notice of the initiation of foreclosure;–obtaining required appraisals;–sales of properties securing defaulted or performing HECM loans;–extensions available when marketing a HECM for sale and/or participating in Hardest Hit Funds programs;–curtailment of debenture interest for missed deadlines This mortgagee letter announces FHA’s position on when HECM loans (with case numbers issued before August | more...