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Articles Tagged With: HUD

May 11, 2012

FHA and HUD Announce $202 Million Settlement With Deutsche Bank and MortgageIT

By Joe Wallace

The Federal Housing Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have announced a multi-million dollar settlement with Deutsche Bank and MortgageIT following a government lawsuit filed in 2011. According to an FHA/HUD press release, the United States government filed suit last year against MortgageIT (owned by Deutsche Bank) for “repeated false certifications to HUD in connection with the residential mortgage origination practices of MORTGAGEIT, a wholly-owned subsidiary of DEUTSCHE BANK AG since 2007.” The press release adds, “The suit alleges approximately a decade of misconduct in connection with MORTGAGEIT

 

April 30, 2012

FHA Loans: How Can I Estimate My Monthly Mortgage Payment?

By Joe Wallace

One commonly asked question about FHA home loans involves the process of determining how much a borrower could pay on a monthly basis on the FHA guaranteed loan. For this purpose, the FHA official site refers potential borrowers to a loan calculator provided by GinnieMae.gov, which is designed to help borrowers get a general idea of what the costs might be per month based on user-provided details including the sale price of the home, the housing market that home is in, etc. Specifically, the loan calculator asks for the sale price of the property, the state and county where that property is, the term of the loan plus interest rate, and the amount of down payment. Once these fields are filled in, the GinnieMae.gov calculator returns the results with plenty | more...

 

April 20, 2012

FHA/HUD Assistance For Hawaii Storm Victims

By Joe Wallace

The FHA and HUD have announced disaster assistance for victims of recent storms in Hawaii. According to a press release issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the department will “speed federal disaster assistance to the State of Hawaii and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes following severe storms, flooding and landslides” during the month of March. The announcement comes after a presidential disaster declaration for Hawaii’s Kauai County. According to the press release, “The President

 

April 2, 2012

FHA Loan Questions: Mortgage Insurance Premiums

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “I thought that it was announced recently that FHA insurance premiums were being decreased not increased?” Effective June 11, 2012, FHA Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premiums (UFMIP) will decrease for certain types of FHA Streamline Refinance Loans. According to the FHA Mortgagee Letter 12-4, “For all SF Forward Streamline Refinance transactions that are

 

March 15, 2012

FHA Loan Reader Question: Collection Actions and Payment Agreements

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks; “I have a student loan that was passed over to a collection agency. I came to a payment agreement with my case manager to pay $50 monthly payments. The original payment amount before collections was $200 a month. I have made consistent payments for 2 years now.” “I am set to close on a house in a few weeks. My mortgage lender is requiring a letter from my collection agency verifying our payment arrangement before I can close. I have called and talked to my case manager at the agency three different times and he is refusing to send any kind of validation letter to acknowledge the payment agreement. The payments have been set up on automatic draft out of my checking account which the agency set | more...

 

March 7, 2012

FHA Loan Rules: Down Payments

By Joe Wallace

There are several government-backed home loan programs available for qualified borrowers. Some programs are for a specific set of people, such as the VA insured loan program for eligible veterans, while others like the FHA insured mortgage loan program are intended for any qualified borrower. There’s sometimes a bit of confusion between VA loan rules and FHA home loan regulations because the two programs are insured by the government, albeit by different agencies. VA home loans, for example, feature a no-money-down option that is sometimes mistaken for a feature of the FHA home loan program. Occasionally we get a reader question asking if the FHA loan program offers a similar no down payment FHA mortgage or if first-time FHA loan applicants are required to make a down payment. All FHA | more...

 

February 20, 2012

FHA Loan Reader Question: Self-Employed Borrowers

By Joe Wallace

A reader asks, “Is it possible to get an FHA loan if the ‘gap’ in employment was due to starting your own business? I have 1099?s that show income, as well as pay stubs as a contractor with a contract in place. The company paying me wants to hire me full time as a w-2 employee.” FHA home loans require the borrower to verify employment, but the lender does not have to deny a loan simply based on alternative, non-traditional, or self-employment. However, the rules for these types of employment are a bit more stringent so that the loan officer may properly verify income. When you fill out an FHA loan application, you’re required to list your employment prior to the period of self-employment, plus list out specific details of | more...

 

February 17, 2012

FHA Loan Reader Question: Bankruptcy and Job Loss

By Joe Wallace

A reader recently sent us a lengthy comment as part of a request for assistance on FHA loan topics. He writes, “I had a foreclosure in a bk chap 7 that was discharged in Nov 2009. This was due to a job lost in 2008 like most of the country. I had to get unemployment for I went over one year looking for another job. I went back to work full time in Dec 2009…” We won’t reproduce the entire correspondence here, but we thought it important to address the issues mentioned above as there are plenty of other readers who may be facing similar circumstances. Is it possible to get a new FHA home loan with conditions like the ones previously mentioned as part of the borrower’s history? Let’s | more...