Articles Tagged With: FHA Updates

October 9, 2015

Know Your Rights Under The Fair Housing Act

Recently we posted about an FHA/HUD press release announcing action against a Pennsylvania landlord who allegedly discriminated against families with children in his rental practices. The same kinds of violations of the Fair Housing Act can occur when trying to buy a home, and such cases are important as awareness-raising tools. When examining these issues, it becomes apparent that many people aren’t fully aware of their rights under the Fair Housing Act. Renters, house hunters, landlords and property owners alike are affected by this important federal law. But what ARE the rules under the Fair Housing Act? You can find a wealth of information at the FHA/HUD official site, which features a page called Fair Housing-It’s Your Right. That page includes (but is not limited to) the following information: “The | more...

October 8, 2015

HUD Charges Pennsylvania Landlord With Discrimination Against Children

By Joe Wallace

In a press release on the FHA/HUD official site, you’ll find the following statement about Fair Housing laws: “The Fair Housing Actmakes it unlawful to deny housing because a family has children under the age of 18 and to make statements that discriminate against families with children. Housing may exclude families with children only if it qualifies as housing for older persons under the Act. The Fair Housing Act permits the familynot the landlordto decide what unit is appropriate or safe for them.” This is mentioned in connection with a case brought by HUD against a Pennsylvania landlord. In a press release (HUDNo.15-123) published recently, we learn, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has charged a Pennsylvania landlord with housing discrimination for allegedly | more...

October 6, 2015

FHA Loans, FICO Scores, and First-Time Home Buyers

By Joe Wallace

A reader asked us a question about FHA loan FICO score requirements in the comments section recently, saying, “Im a first time home buyer and my credit score is 599 to 620 avg. from all 3 bureaus. All my credit cards are paid on time never been late. I dont have any negative accounts on my credit report. Do I have a chance of being approved?” There are two important issues to address with this reader’s question. The first is the reader’s status as a first-time home buyer. The FHA loan program itself does not provide any special status, preference, or benefits for first-time home buyers. That’s not to say that your chosen lender, won’t, or that there is not a state or local assistance program for first-time home buyers. | more...

September 28, 2015

Mortgage Rate Trends: Slightly Higher But Holding Within The Range

By Joe Wallace

On Friday, mortgage loan rates were generally found within the range of rates reported previously (see below). There was some upward movement on rates but in general 30-year fixed rate conventional mortgage loan interest rates are, best execution, between 3.875% and 4.0%. As of Friday FHA mortgage rates were in their best execution comfort zone of 3.75% and as always borrowers may notice more variation among participating lenders than with conventional counterparts. Best execution assumes ideal conditions such as outstanding FICO scores and other financial qualifications. The numbers reported here are not available to all borrowers or from all lenders. Your experience may vary. There are some scheduled economic data releases due this week, so it’s possible we could see some alteration of rates within the range, but Friday’s employment | more...

September 23, 2015

HUD 4000.1 And Changes To The FHA Streamlined 203(k) Rehab Loan

By Joe Wallace

Since the FHA and HUD published the new Single Family home loan policy handbook, HUD 4000.1, we’ve been examining changes and updates to FHA loan rules. One such update affects the FHA 203(k) Streamline Loan, sometimes called and FHA streamline rehab loan. According to the FHA official site, the changes are not being reported in a mortgagee letter or other official FHA/HUD document, because lenders are being asked to review the program policies in their entirety. That said, FHA/HUD did publish a brief list of updates with a few basic details. “FHA is not publishing a detailed document of specific changes to the 203(k) product section,” the official site states, “as it is important that mortgagees and 203(k) consultants read the section in its entirety to understand the policy within | more...

September 18, 2015

HUD Announces 2015 Relief For Victims Of Hurricane Sandy

By Joe Wallace

You read that correctly–the Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced further relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy. It’s been quite some time since we ran any Sandy-related news, but a recent decision by HUD gives these home owners some much-needed assistance. Many FHA borrowers were affected by that hurricane, and according to a press release issued by the FHA/HUD official site, “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today decided that HUD will not force thousands of New York and New Jersey homeowners to repay federal disaster recovery funds following a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to increase flood insurance claim payments to families it initially underpaid following Hurricane Sandy.” According to HUDNo.15-144, federal law gives the Department of Housing and Urban Development the | more...

September 10, 2015

New FHA Single Family Loan Policy Handbook HUD 4000.1: Superseded Policies

By Joe Wallace

At the time of this writing there are five days until the launch of the new FHA Single Family Home Loan policy book, HUD 4000.1. We have written about certain policies and procedures that will take effect on September 14, 2015, the official launch date for HUD 4000.1. But there are some changes to FHA loan rules that coincide with the launch of the new handbook that are important to know–some FHA mortgagee letters have been superseded in their entirety. The FHA/HUD official site has a comprehensive list of those mortgagee letters, which includes the following chart: As you can see, there is a range of mortgagee letters that will be replaced, from 1994 all the way up to the year 2014. Not ALL mortgagee letters in that year/date range | more...

September 4, 2015

FHA Loan Rules For Lenders: HUD 4000.1

By Joe Wallace

We’ve been reporting on a series of rule updates, amendments, and modifications to FHA single-family home loan policy scheduled to take effect on September 14, 2015. The new FHA Single Family Housing Handbook, also known as HUD 4000.1, contains all the rules and requirements for the FHA single family home loan program. The FHA/HUD official site has a Frequently Asked Questions list that addresses questions about a variety of aspects related to HUD 4000.1. Some of those questions involve FHA policy that pertains to borrowers, some pertain strictly to the lender. For example, lenders may wonder what the FHA policy is with regard to becoming or remaining a participating FHA lender. The FAQ section addresses that specific issue with a list of guidelines that include the following under a section | more...

September 3, 2015

Common Questions About Policies In The New Single Family Housing Handbook, HUD 4000.1

By Joe Wallace

The FHA will launch the new FHA Single Family Home Loan Handbook, HUD 4000.1, on September 14th. There will be certain updates, changes, alterations and revisions of some FHA loan policy in the handbook, and the FHA/HUD have anticipated some frequently asked questions about existing or new policies contained in that handbook. In the days leading up to the launch, we’re covering some of those FAQ topics here. Some may apply to borrowers, some apply to lenders, and there are a variety of topics that may be relevant to both. One frequently asked question topic of concern to lenders is the question of how much, if any, work associated with an FHA loan can be contracted out to third parties. FHA loan rules that take effect on September 14, 2015 | more...

When Is An FHA Loan Better Than A Conventional Loan?

September 2, 2015

FHA Loan Questions: Late Payments Prior To Loan Application Time

By Joe Wallace

We get plenty of credit-related questions about FHA home loans and refinance loans in our comments section. One recent question that came in has to do with late payments on financial obligations prior to filling out an FHA mortgage application. The reader mentioned having late payments in the last year in addition to having a credit score in the mid-500s. “Can this affect my chances for FHA loan approval?” is the most common of questions, and naturally the answer is dependent on circumstances. In general, FHA loan applications are best turned in when the borrower has a solid 12 months of on-time payments for all financial obligations. Borrowers with otherwise outstanding credit and/or “compensating factors” may find a lender more forgiving if there is an issue with credit history, but | more...