New FHA Policies- Higher PMI but No Hike in the Downpayment Requirements

The Federal Housing Administration won’t raise the 3.5 percent minimum downpayment requirement for mortgages it guarantees as long as borrowers have FICO scores of 580 or better.

Beginning early this summer, however, borrowers with credit scores below 580 will be required to make downpayments of at least 10 percent in order to participate in FHA’s mortgage insurance program.

This spring, the Obama administration also plans to raise the upfront mortgage insurance premiums paid by all FHA borrowers to 2.25 percent, up from 1.75 percent now.

The increase — some of which may later be shifted to annual premium payments — will help build FHA capital reserves back to statutory minimums and bring back private lending, FHA Commissioner David Stevens said today.

Stevens also said enforcement of FHA lenders will be stepped up, and that allowable seller concessions will be reduced from 6 percent to 3 percent early this summer. The current 6 percent level exposes FHA to excess risk by creating incentives to inflate appraised values, he said.

Announced FHA Policy Changes:

Mortgage insurance premium (MIP) will be increased to build up capital reserves and bring back private lending

  • The first step will be to raise the up-front MIP by 50 bps to 2.25% and request legislative authority to increase the maximum annual MIP that the FHA can charge.
  • If this authority is granted, then the second step will be to shift some of the premium increase from the up-front MIP to the annual MIP.
  • This shift will allow for the capital reserves to increase with less impact to the consumer, because the annual MIP is paid over the life of the loan instead of at the time of closing
  • The initial up-front increase is included in a Mortgagee Letter to be released tomorrow, January 21st, and will go into effect in the spring.

Update the combination of FICO scores and down payments for new borrowers.

  • New borrowers will now be required to have a minimum FICO score of 580 to qualify for FHA’s 3.5% down payment program. New borrowers with less than a 580 FICO score will be required to put down at least 10%.
  • This allows the FHA to better balance its risk and continue to provide access for those borrowers who have historically performed well.
  • This change will be posted in the Federal Register in February and, after a notice and comment period, would go into effect in the early summer.Update the combination of FICO scores and down payments for new borrowers.

Reduce allowable seller concessions from 6% to 3%

  • The current level exposes the FHA to excess risk by creating incentives to inflate appraised value. This change will bring FHA into conformity with industry standards on seller concessions.
  • This change will be posted in the Federal Register in February, and after a notice and comment period, would go into effect in the early summer.

Increase enforcement on FHA lenders

  • Publicly report lender performance rankings to complement currently available Neighborhood Watch data – Will be available on the HUD website on February 1.
  • This is an operational change to make information more user-friendly and hold lenders more accountable; it does not require new regulatory action as Neighborhood Watch data is currently publicly available.
  • Enhance monitoring of lender performance and compliance with FHA guidelines and standards.
  • Implement Credit Watch termination through lender underwriting ID in addition to originating ID.
  • This change is included in a Mortgagee Letter to be released tomorrow, January 21st, and is effective immediately.
  • Implement statutory authority through regulation of section 256 of the National Housing Act to enforce indemnification provisions for lenders using delegated insuring process
  • Specifications of this change will be posted in March, and after a notice and comment period, would go into effect in early summer.
  • HUD is pursuing legislative authority to increase enforcement on FHA lenders. Specific authority includes:
  • Amendment of section 256 of the National Housing Act to apply indemnification provisions to all Direct Endorsement lenders. This would require all approved mortgagees to assume liability for all of the loans that they originate and underwrite
  • Legislative authority permitting HUD maximum flexibility to establish separate “areas” for purposes of review and termination under the Credit Watch initiative. This would provide authority to withdraw originating and underwriting approval for a lender nationwide on the basis of the performance of its regional branches.

In addition to the changes proposed today, the FHA is continuing to review its overall response to housing market conditions, and continuing to evaluate its mortgage insurance underwriting standards and its measures to help distressed and underwater borrowers through FHA/HAMP and other FHA initiatives going forward.

Deborah Bremner
REALTOR, 00588885,
Certified Short Sale Professional
Certified Home Retention Specialist
(D) 818.564.6591
[email protected]
Blogging at: http://TheBremnerGroup.com/blog

Get your Instant Home Value…