FHA Makes Some Changes…..But These Changes Won’t Solve The Problem Of “To Little Money Down”
Posted By thestatedtruth.com on August 15, 2010
The FHA is almost broke, is government supported and they back 30% of all loans outstanding….To make matters more interesting, in its 76-year history, the FHA has never required a credit score from borrowers. (No wonder they’re broke). At a 580 credit score and above, borrowers would be eligible for a 3.5% down payment (still ridiculous). It is well below scores of 660 to 720 that most lenders look for to accept only a 10% down payment. “No lender is going to do that loan for a borrower with a 580 score and only 10% down,” says Christopher Gardner, chief executive of FHA Pros. Here is a summary from an article in The Wall Street Journal concerning these changes.
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 the FHA’s parent, the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Critics fear that the moves will stifle an already sluggish recovery in housing and will be most burdensome on first-time home buyers who rely most on the FHA insuring their loans. The FHA backs 30% of all loans outstanding and is on track to insure 1.7 million loans by the end of its fiscal year Sept. 30, according to its recent quarterly report to Congress.
Here’s a rundown on some of the initiatives:
Higher monthly fees. Earlier this month, Congress agreed for the FHA to raise the monthly premiums it charges on loans; a presidential signature is needed and expected.
FHA-backed loans have looser restrictions than other mortgages on down payments — now at 3.5% of the home’s selling price — but they require borrowers to pay an upfront fee and a monthly fee. The legislation allows the FHA to hike the monthly fee to as much as an annualized 1.5% of the loan balance, up from 0.55%, though initially it will go only to 0.9%. The initial fee was increased earlier this year to 2.25% from 1.75%, though the FHA has said it will bring it down to 1% with the higher monthly fee.
Increasing the continuing fee is expected to generate $300 million per month, “which would replenish FHA’s capital reserves much faster than is possible under the premium authority” now, according to the quarterly report.
Credit scores. In its 76-year history, the FHA has never required a credit score from borrowers, though the lenders have. That would change under a proposed rule that the FHA is expected to adopt. The FHA would require borrowers to have at least a 500 score for FHA backing. At 580 and above, borrowers would be eligible for the 3.5% down payment. But those who fall between 500 and 580 would see their down payments jump to 10%. It is well below scores of 660 to 720 that most lenders look for to accept only a 10% down payment. “No lender is going to do that loan for a borrower with a 580 score and only 10% down,” says Christopher Gardner, chief executive of FHA Pros.
For the FHA, “this change is dramatic,” the quarterly report said. Among borrowers with scores below 580, loans 90 days in arrears, what FHA calls “seriously delinquent,” have been three times as high as those for borrowers with scores above 580, the FHA said. Of the total FHA loan portfolio, some 6% are to borrowers who had scores below 580 at the time of origination, FHA Commissioner David Stevens told a House subcommittee in March.
Cutting sellers’ contributions. This is the change that may have the biggest impact on borrowers, because it could nearly double their total upfront costs from just the required 3.5% down payment to a total 6.5%. Sellers have been able to contribute up to 6% of the price of the home toward the buyer’s purchase. That was often done by paying some of the closing costs, such as the upfront FHA fee and other fees, amounting to about 3% of the purchase price. Sellers might also agree to pay for some needed repairs, sparing the buyers that expense.
As part of its proposed rule changes, the FHA wants to slice the seller’s contribution to no more than 3%, which CMPS Institute’s Mr. Nicholas says ups the buyer’s ante to 6.5%. “Why [should] the home be less affordable to the buyer under the new rules,” Mr. Nicholas asks.
The FHA contends that this change will weed out sellers who artificially inflate the sales price to create the concession. It also will bring FHA in line with industry standards, according to Bankrate.com.
Comments