FHA Announces It Will Continue To Insure Wholesale Houses

Once again the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced that it will be extending its anti-flipping waiver, allowing buyers to continue to use FHA-insured loans to purchase homes that are being resold within 90 days of their purchase[1]. The law was originally enacted in 2003 to “ease fraudulent transactions” in which investors bought houses for low prices and then sold them for higher ones, relying on the fast pace of appreciation and the buying mania at that time to make the house salable at a higher value (FHA believes that these values were inflated) rather than taking time to make improvements to the property. The FHA found that buyers in these transactions were more likely to default on their loans and that incidences of straw buyers and unethical appraisal methods were much higher on flips. As a result, the administration opted to stop insuring home loans on these properties.

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A Tidal Wave Of FHA Foreclosures Are About To Hit The Market

Last month I reviewed an interesting article on The Wall Street Journal website. The article stated that mortgage default rates were dipping for nearly all loan types with the one exception being FHA types of financing. Those default rates had actually amplified over the past year. Why you may ask? Well, when the market crashed the government enacted tax incentives for first time home buyers and plenty of potential new buyers inundated the market. Most of those consumers were cash strapped therefore most were encouraged to use Federal Housing Administration financing for the low down payment opportunities. And, in plenty of states, if a buyer used this financing there were incentives for $100 down payments. Many states still make available this program while others have abandoned it. My mind began to rattle when I began to think about what actually has transpired over the past several years.

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Major Changes Ahead For Mortgage System

Fundamental changes are probably ahead for the American mortgage system as the federal government pushes to unwind its unprecedented involvement in the housing market.

These changes could significantly raise the down payments demanded by lenders, curtail the availability of long-term mortgages with fixed interest rates, and increase the cost of borrowing in general.

The government's effort to scale back its role in housing could show up in small ways soon. In April, the Federal Housing Administration plans to raise the annual premium it charges borrowers by a quarter of a percentage point. In October, the maximum size of loans that the federal government backs is scheduled to drop to $625,500 from $729,750. The most dramatic proposal - eliminating mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - could take five to seven years.

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2011 FHA Home Loan Requirements for Borrowers

If you are a home buyer thinking of using an FHA loan to buy a home, you should be aware of certain changes to the FHA program. This page offers a summary of FHA home loan requirements for 2011.

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5 FHA Streamline Facts You Need to Know

The benefits of an FHA Streamline loan are going to be discussed in the following article. Anyone with an FHA loan that wants to reduce their monthly payment is going to want to see these facts.

1. Who qualifies for an FHA streamline loan?

• Home owners that currently have an FHA loan.
• Must have the loan for 6 months or longer.
• No delinquencies on the mortgage in the last 12 months.

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FHA Commissioner: Mortgage Industry Must Regain the Public’s Trust

During the Mortgage Bankers Association conference in Atlanta, GA, Federal Housing Administration Commissioner said the mortgage business should shine a light on bad participants in the industry and regain the public’s trust.

“There’s a reflection in the media that we aren’t holding ourselves accountable enough,” said David H. Stevens, commissioner of the FHA, noting that the recent news of flaws in some banks’ foreclosure processing methods is adding to the problem.

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FHA Loans: Getting an FHA Loan After Foreclosure

With the recent news of the record amount of foreclosures during the month of September, it is obvious to wonder who will be able to purchase a home in the future. Losing a home to foreclosure is stressful and for many it is the end of the emotional road of homeownership. In reality, foreclosures have been happening all along, but not at the high rate as what has happened over the past few years. Many people who went through this process years ago are now ready to purchase a home again due to low home prices. Getting an FHA loan after foreclosure is possible and happens everyday.

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Building The Next Subprime Crisis

President Obama and Democrats in Congress haven't moved to stop subprime lending -- they've just taken it over.
They've created a federal subprime-lending monopoly by seizing control of the financial apparatus -- Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration -- and lending 100 percent of the home price to borrowers who can't afford it.
Private lenders can't make these loans -- they need to get paid back.


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More Bad Economic News, Yet Here Comes ANOTHER Wall Street Bailout

Americans may be extremely upset about Wall Street bailouts, but President Obama isn't listening. Come September 7, President Obama will have Wall Street investment banks lining up for another huge bailout. But such a bailout will do little to stimulate the housing market and offset the latest 27.2 percent plunge in existing home sales.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will offer financial institutions holding mortgages worth more than the value of the houses, so-called "underwater" mortgages, a guarantee on 90 percent of the mortgage value if the institution will write-off 10 percent of the mortgage. These risky mortgages have been bought up by Wall Street investment banks at may be 30, 40 or 50 cents on the dollar. The government now says that if the holder takes 10 percent off the mortgage, the government will guarantee 90 percent of the mortgage. So they may have bought a $400,000 mortgage for $200,000. If the mortgage holder agrees to write-off $40,000, the government will guarantee the mortgage for $360,000.

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FHA Gets Tougher on Mortgages

Consumers looking for home loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration will face tougher hurdles and higher costs under new legislation and new rules that could take effect as soon as this month.

Higher monthly fees, larger down payments and better credit scores are among the new initiatives intended to ensure that the FHA stays solvent. Its reserves, which are used to cover bad loans, plummeted to $3.5 billion at midyear from $19.3 billion in September 2008, according to a report from the FHA's parent, the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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As FHA Mortgage Volume Increases From 2009, Serious Delinquencies Spike

The rate of seriously delinquent mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) declined slightly from May to June, but the gross number of mortgages that are either 90 or more days past due or in foreclosure increased 35% year-over-year.

According to the FHA June single-family operations report, the total volume of mortgage in-force increased more than 24% to 6.4m in June compared to the same month one year ago. The total value of unpaid FHA mortgages was $865.5bn in June, up 30.3% from $663.8bn one year ago and up 3.3% from $837.8bn in May.

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Selling A Condo? Better Hope It's On The 'Approved' List

Question: I own an apartment in a condominium development that I am trying to sell. I have a potential buyer who wants to use an FHA loan because of its low down-payment requirements, but he says my project is not on FHA's "approved" list. That strikes me as somewhat discriminatory, so my question is, does the FHA have such a list? And if it does, how come my condo isn't on it and how does it get on it? Thanks. W.F.

Answer: The Federal Housing Administration does indeed maintain a roster of approved condominium and townhome associations. Because of new rules which went into effect in February, if your development does not appear on the FHA's roster, your potential buyer will not be able to use an FHA-insured mortgage to purchase your unit.

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FHA Insurance Premiums Could Triple

Many consumers are already paying high home insurance premiums thanks to a number of factors, but those payments might increase even more sharply thanks to a new measure from Congress.

Late last week, the House approved an increase in annual premiums paid by those who insure their homes through the Federal Housing Administration. According to a UPI report, those increases would nearly triple the current rates. The Senate has yet to vote on the bill.

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House to Consider Bill to Raise FHA Premiums

A bill to help the Federal Housing Administration shore up its finances is set for a vote this week in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mortgage defaults have eaten through the FHA's capital cushion, fanning fears the agency will require a taxpayer bailout.

The legislation's aim, its sponsors say, is to help the FHA replenish its reserves without harming the agency's mission of backing low down payment loans for low- and moderate-income borrowers.

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US Mortgage Rates Steady At Or Near Record Lows

U.S. mortgage rates stayed at or near record lows in the past week, with the 30-year fixed rate 1/2 percentage point lower than a year ago, home funding company Freddie Mac (FRE.N)(FRE.P) said on Thursday.

In the midst of volatile bond markets, home loan rates continued to keep affordability high.

Demand for loans to buy homes tumbled to 13-year lows in May after spiking in prior weeks, when buyers raced to sign contracts before a homebuyer tax credit expired on April 30. The buyer retreat is seen as temporary, with spring sales pulled into earlier months because of the credit.

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FHA Loans: The New Subprime

Coming financial reform legislation misses the point if it doesn't address the federal government's growing dominance of the mortgage market because the United States is already being set up for another bubble.
Uncle Sam's best role is to set the parameters for the industry, including sane underwriting requirements for banks and non-bank lenders, along with other rules to prevent abusive lending, while slowly weaning the mortgage market off the programs that have helped feed the boom-and-bust cycle.

But Senator Chris Dodd's "Restoring American Financial Stability" bill does nothing of the sort. In fact, the bill doesn't address the future of Fannie Mae(FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE), or the explosion of mortgages guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) at all.

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House Financial Services Committee Approves FHA Reform Act

The House Financial Services Committee this week approved three pieces of legislation tied to mortgage markets, including the FHA Reform Act of 2010, which allows the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to adjust its premium structure for new borrowers.

The committee also voted to approve the Homeowners' Defense Act and reauthorized the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years.

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