FHA Mortgage Requirements for Louisville Ky First Time Home Buyers.
via FHA Mortgage Requirements for Louisville Ky First Time Home Buyers.
April 2012: The New (& Expensive) FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) Schedule
April 2012: The New (& Expensive) FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) Schedule.
via April 2012: The New (& Expensive) FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) Schedule.
The FHA will raise its mortgage insurance premiums April 1, 2012. All FHA mortgage applicants — first-time buyers, repeat buyers, and users of the FHA Streamline Refinance program — will be subject to the new fees.
New FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium Schedules
The new FHA mortgage insurance premium schedule raises FHA loan costs significantly.
FHA mortgage insurance is paid in two parts.
The first part is the “Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium”. Sometimes abbreviated as UFMIP, upfront mortgage insurance premiums will rise from 1.000% of your FHA loan size to 1.750% of your FHA loan size.
For example, if you live in Chicago, Illinois and you borrow up to the FHA’s local loan limit of $417,000, your upfront mortgage insurance premium will rise 75% from $4,170 to $7,298. This amount is added to your loan size. FHA upfront MIP is not paid via cash. You’ll pay interest on this amount for the life of your loan.
The changes in the FHA’s annual mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) are less extreme, rising only 10 basis points.
The new schedule, for loans with case numbers assigned on or after April 1, 2012:
- 15-year loan terms with loan-to-value over 90% : 0.60 percent annual MIP
- 15-year loan terms with loan-t0-value under 90% : 0.35 percent annual MIP
- 30-year loan terms with loan-to-value over 95% : 1.25 percent annual MIP
- 30-year loan terms with loan-to-value under 95% : 1.20 percent annual MIP
Furthermore, all FHA mortgages made for $625,500 or more will be subject to an additional 0.25 percent annual mortgage insurance fee.
Loans made prior to April 1, 2012 will use the old FHA mortgage insurance schedule:
- 15-year loan terms with loan-to-value over 90% : 0.50 percent annual MIP
- 15-year loan terms with loan-t0-value under 90% : 0.25 percent annual MIP
- 30-year loan terms with loan-to-value over 95% : 1.15 percent annual MIP
- 30-year loan terms with loan-to-value under 95% : 1.10 percent annual MIP
- There is no “jumbo FHA mortgage premium” for loans made prior to April 1, 2012.
Special Cases: FHA Streamline Refinance MIPs
As part of the FHA’s announcement, there was also reference to the FHA’s benchmark refinance program, the FHA Streamline Refinance.
The FHA suggested that a subset of households using the streamline refi program will get access to lower mortgage insurance premiums after refinancing — not higher.
No official announcement has been made, but it’s believed that mortgage insurance premiums — both upfront and annual — will be dramatically lowered for FHA Streamline Refinances used to replace an existing FHA mortgages originated prior to June 1, 2009. New FHA Streamline Refinances that replace loans originally originated after June 1, 2009 will still pay the new, standard FHA mortgage insurance rates listed above.
The June 1, 2009 deadline should sound familiar — it’s the same deadline for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s HARP 2.0 program.
The FHA is expected to confirm new FHA Streamline Refinance mortgage insurance premiums within a few weeks.
Lock Your FHA Rate Before The Price Hike
The FHA will make a formal announcement on its new FHA premiums in the coming days. Some of the exact numbers at top may change slightly. However, the FHA has confirmed the April 1, 2012 rollout date.
If you’re planning to use the FHA for your next home mortgage, get your loan application started today. If you wait, you’ll be subject to the FHA’s new premiums.
Source – Dan Green
Author’s note : This information is subject to final review by the FHA. It’s based on an initial FHA announcement made February 27, 2012. It’s unofficial until the FHA releases its mortgagee letter on the matter.
FHA Updates Credit Qualifying Guidelines
FHA Updates Credit Qualifying Guidelines.
FHA (Federal Housing Administration) mortgages are known for the easier and flexible credit qualifying guidelines that are offered to borrowers. It is for this reason that so many people choose FHA mortgages for their financing. Recently, FHA has updated the credit qualifying guidelines for disputed accounts and collections that becomes effective April 1st.
When the borrower has one or several disputed credit accounts and/or collections with a total balance that is equal to or above $1,000, the accounts must be resolved by payment arrangement or paid in full prior to or at closing. If not paid in full, these payments will be included in the debt to income ratios. If payment arrangements have been made, there must be at least three months of verified payments as per the agreement made with the creditor. Any disputed account or collections that are the result of credit card theft, identity theft or unauthorized use are excluded from the $1,000 calculation. There must be related and appropriate documentation, such as a police report, to substantiate this claim.
When the total amount due on outstanding credit and/or collection accounts is below $1,000 the borrower does not have to pay off the accounts in order to receive approval. It is not considered an acceptable resolution according to FHA to pay down balances on any of these accounts in order to bring the balance below $1,000. FHA requires that court ordered judgments be paid in full prior to FHA mortgage approval. In the case of a court ordered judgment in which the borrower has an agreement to make regular payments and can show the documentation that at least three months of payments have been made, a borrower can continue to pay off the judgment and the payments will be included in the debt to income ratios.
Acceptable documentation to support any resolutions to credit or collection accounts include a letter from the creditor which outlines the terms of the payment arrangements or verifies the payoff of debt, canceled checks or a credit report supplement that verifies the payoff or payment arrangements. It is likely that more borrowers will be cleaning up their credit prior to making an FHA mortgage application once these FHA updates for credit qualifying go into effect.
Kentucky FHA loans
Kentucky FHA loans have always been a great alternative for people who don’t quite qualify for Conventional financing. The guidelines are more forgiving allowing for smaller down payments, higher debt to income ratios, some credit issues, and more sources for the down payment.
The great thing is that the interest rate is only slightly higher than a conventional loan. Sometimes the interest rate is actually lower. Remember this! IF you go to a Kentucky Mortgage Broker or a Bank and the rate quoted is exceptionally higher, they are charging you too much. Call around for quotes. You will usually get a better rate from a Kentucky Mortgage broker.
Advantages:
- Kentucky FHA loans are not as strict on credit scoring. We can go down to a 580 credit score with compensating factors and if it makes sense.
- High debt to income ratios: 31% / 55%
- 100% of down payment can be a gift from: relative, close friend, or employer. Currently Kentucky Housing will give you up to $6,000 for down payment assistance with Kentucky FHA mortgage loans
- Seller, builder, or realtor can pay up to 6% of the sales price towards the buyers closing costs, discount points, prepaids, and up front mortgage insurance premium.
- Buyer can finance closing costs into the loan, except for prepaids and discount points.
- Credit criteria is not as strict as a Conventional loan. In fact, you might qualify if you have filed a chapter 13 bankruptcy and have been in it for at least one year.
Disadvantages:
- Kentucky FHA mortgage insurance may be more expensive than Conventional mortgage insurance.
- Maximum loan amounts are lower than conventional loans and they are determined by area.
