Articles in Category: HUD Regulations

June 27, 2017

What Is An FHA Loan Rate?

What Is An FHA Loan Rate? Simply put, the FHA loan rate is the interest rate charged on your 15 or 30-year FHA mortgage. There are some facts you should know about FHA loan rates that will make understanding them much easier. FHA Loan Rates Are Set By The Lender Technically speaking, the mortgage loan interest rate on your loan is something you negotiate with your loan officer. Your access to the most competitive FHA loan rates will be determined by your FICO scores and other financial qualifications, but beyond that you may have the option to buy down interest rates using discount points, which is something you and the lender should discuss as early as possible in the loan process. We’ll come back to discount points in a moment, | more...

June 2, 2017

HUD Kicks Off National Homeownership Month

By Bruce Reichstein

The HUD official site (www.HUD.gov) has announced that June is National Home Ownership Month. According to a HUD press release, June has been declared a time, “to reflect upon the impact owning a home has on household wealth, neighborhood stability and the nation’s broader economic health. The theme of National Homeownership Month 2017 is ‘Find Your Place in a New Era of Homeownership.'” The press release also adds that HUD Secretary Ben Carson helped begin Homeownership Month, “by hosting an academic forum on the state of homeownership in the U.S. following the housing crisis, specifically the challenges Millennials face” as the generation enters the job and housing markets. “After all we’ve been through, homeownership remains an American value and the cornerstone of our economy,” said Secretary Carson in the HUD | more...

June 1, 2017

FHA Loans And Multi-Unit Properties

By Joe Wallace

FHA home loans are intended for owner-occupiers. The FHA loan occupancy requirement states that the borrower must begin using the home purchased with an FHA loan within a specified time after closing (usually within 60 days) and for a minimum of one year. But FHA loan rules also permit owner-occupiers to buy multi-unit properties. For multi-unit homes, the borrower must occupy at least one unit but is free to rent out the unused spaces in the home to others. FHA loan rules limit the number of units to four in these transactions. If a borrower intends to apply for an FHA loan for a home that has multiple units, it may be tempting to try to convince the lender to factor in any potential income from such rental as part | more...

June 1, 2017

HUD Announces Settlement In California Fair Housing Case

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced a settlement in a California Fair Housing Act discrimination case. According to the FHA/HUD official site, HUD “reached an agreement with the owner and manager of a California apartment complex, resolving allegations they discriminated against tenants because of their national origin and familial status. Two related complaints filed with HUD alleged that the manager of the Four Palms Apartments in Mountain View, California, made discriminatory statements about Latino residents and prohibited their children from playing outside”. Such discrimination is not permitted under federal Fair Housing Act laws. “A family’s right to enjoy their home shouldn’t depend on where they are from or whether they have children,” said Bryan Greene, HUD’s General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, who | more...

May 29, 2017

Happy Memorial Day 2017!

By Joe Wallace

Happy Memorial Day! We pause today from our usual posts about FHA home loans, refinance loans, and related topics to recognize the sacrifices made by our women and men in uniform. Thank you to all who have served-from those who have gone before to those who are about to enter their first year in uniform in service to our country. We return with our regularly scheduled posts on Tuesday. Thank you for reading, and have a safe and happy Memorial Day 2017.

May 16, 2017

FHA Loan Application Data: What You Should Know

By Joe Wallace

The FHA single family loan program rule book, HUD 4000.1, has a variety of rules and instructions to the lender on how FHA loan application information is to be handled and processed. You might not think those rules affect you as an applicant, but some of the rules do pertain to how the lender must collect the borrower’s information and the approved sources of that information. Your credit scores and other data must be given to the lender from approved sources. Did you know that HUD 4000.1 does not permit the borrower to handle or transmit certain kinds of information to the lender? Your loan officer is responsible for making sure she gets the information from the proper sourcing. According to HUD 4000.1: “Mortgagees must not accept or use documents | more...

May 3, 2017

Work Absences And FHA Loans

By Joe Wallace

Can FHA loans depend on a borrower not having medical leave or temporary absences from work? That’s what one reader wants to know this week: “I was out from work one month do to a job related injury. Can I get an FHA loan? How long I have to wait to qualify? I have been working for the same company three years.” FHA loan rules may be non-specific on certain types of circumstances, preferring to defer to state law, lender standards, or other guidelines. However, this situation is not one of those. HUD 4000.1 specifically addresses the issue of temporary absences from the applicant’s place of employment. HUD 4000.1 describes this as a “temporary reduction of income”, stating: “For Borrowers with a temporary reduction of income due to a short-term | more...

April 28, 2017

Fair Housing Month And HUD

By Joe Wallace

Fair Housing Month ends this weekend. This month-long campaign to raise awareness of Fair Housing laws is an important one, which includes measures taken by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help house hunters and apartment seekers alike to get fair consideration when applying to find or buy a home. Those measures in 2017 include a trying to raise awareness of certain persistent types of discrimination. According to the HUD official site, one version is particularly troublesome. “Every type of discrimination robs individuals and families of their right to choose where to live, but one form of discrimination HUD is particularly active in addressing is discrimination against families with children, known as familial status discrimination.” HUD states that every year, more than ten percent of all Fair Housing | more...

April 20, 2017

HUD Announcement On California Fair Housing Case

By Joe Wallace

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced an agreement in a fair housing case involving a group of mortgage lenders operating in California. According to a press release on HUD.gov, ” The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced an agreement with a group of California mortgage lenders to resolve allegations they discriminated against a mortgage applicant based on his national origin.” The press release states that allegations of Fair Housing Act violations were brought against “American Financial Network of Brea, California; Benchmark Communities of Fresno; Brigantino Enterprise of Hollister; and an employee of Benchmark Communities failed to prequalify him to purchase a home in Hollister because he is Hispanic”. Federal Fair Housing laws prohibit “discrimination in rental, sales or home lending transactions based on a | more...

April 19, 2017

Multiple FHA Loans? The Rules

By Joe Wallace

Based on some of our reader questions lately, there seems to be some confusion over the rules for FHA loans where the borrower is interested in applying for an additional FHA mortgage. What are the rules in HUD 4000.1 on this issue? There are two general areas of confusion related to those rules. Some borrowers have purchased a primary residence with non FHA loans and want to know if the FHA loan rules governing additional mortgages apply to them. According to a literal interpretation of the requirements in HUD 4000.1, borrowers who have a non-FHA mortgage are free to apply for an FHA mortgage without worrying about being in violation of the rules. FHA loans have rules for additional mortgages apply which specifically to those who already have an existing | more...