Legislation

New FHA Guidelines Will Be Tougher and More Expensive

Securing an FHA mortgage is about to get more expensive.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Federal Housing Authority outlined policy changes to its mortgage assistance program. The shift is meant to both reduce the government group’s portfolio risk while strengthening its overall financials.

For consumers in Northwest Indiana, the changes mean higher costs.

As listed in the official announcement, there are 3 major guideline updates for the FHA:

1. Upfront mortgage insurance premiums are increasing to 2.25% from 1.75%
2. Minimum downpayments for applicants with sub-580 FICOs are rising to 10 percent
3. Seller concessions are being limited to 3%, down from today’s allowable 6%

Furthermore, FHA has appealed Congress to raise an FHA borrowers’ monthly mortgage insurance premiums.

To read the FHA’s statement, it’s clear what the group is trying to balance.  On one side, the FHA wants to provide affordable financing to families that need it. That’s its mission statement. On the other side, though, the FHA must manage the risk that comes with insuring lesser-quality loans.

To that end, FHA is stepping up its enforcement of “bad lenders” in hopes of stopping problems where they start.

Also in its new policies, the FHA is introducing a “termination clause”. If banks or loan officers that produce more than their fair share of bad loans, they lose their right to originate FHA mortgages.

As a result, homebuyers in Chesterton, Crown Point, Highland, Munster, Portage, Saint John, Schererville and Valparaiso should expect tougher FHA underwriting in 2010. Not because the FHA says so, necessarily, but because banks don’t want to do “bad loans”.  Lenders are incented to turn down at-risk applicants and, already, we’re seeing examples of this. Despite FHA allowing 580 FICOs and lower, many banks have made 620 their minimum.

Some have other guideline overlays, too.

The FHA’s new guidelines don’t go into effect until spring.  So, between now and then, the old guidelines will apply.  Therefore, if you know you’re going to need an FHA home loan in the next few months in Northwest Indiana, consider moving up your time-frame.

If nothing else, you’ll save some money at closing.

Contact Benchmark Mortgage in Northwest Indiana to Qualify for Your FREE FHA Home Loan Approval Today!

Legislation

Who Cares About the BIG 3

On my drive to work this morning, I noticed the flashing digital sign in front of our local Pontiac/Buick dealership. All the advertisement declared massive reductions on prices. MSRP $29k…NOW $21k. MSRP $18.5k…NOW $15k. MSRP $23k…NOW $17.9k. You get the hint.

While taking in the blitz of markdowns, the talk on CNBC radio was the 2nd day of congressional hearings about General Motors, Ford & Chrysler (aka the BIG 3). I began to ponder the following question: What is all the clamor on capitol hill about the viability of the BIG 3?

In a normal business model, if you can’t get the execution right you will ultimately fail. Why would it be any different for the BIG 3? If they have a viable business model, go through legal options of bankruptcy and restructure. Learn from the mistakes and rebuild a better company.

If history is any indicator, the BIG 3 has had a reluctance for change which has led to its dwindling prowess in the auto industry as a whole. At the end of the day, what kind of message would you be sending to consumers if all they saw was that you are no longer worth it?

Legislation

Word of the Day – Modify

It seems as if every news item surrounding the housing market entrenches the word modify. Therefore, what does modify mean. According to Dictionary.com Unabridged (v1.1) the word modify is defined as:

1. to change somewhat the form or qualities of; alter partially; amend: to modify a contract.
2. to reduce or lessen in degree or extent; moderate; soften; to modify one’s demands.

Every piece of legislation has been modified in the last 24 hours to buoy the housing industry and frustrated homeowners on the brink of foreclosures. Let’s take a look at some of the prominent headlines.

• HOPE for Homeowners Program of the Home Economic Recovery Act 2008, which became effective October 1st has had minimal participation. It was noted that only 42 applications out of the 400,000 the program was targeted were received in the first 2 weeks. Accordingly, the program is in the process of being modified to be more friendly to banks to want to move forward. NY Times, Nov. 12, 2008
• Henry Paulson announced today that the $700 Billion TARP Program was being modified to be more accommodating to the changing needs of the financial market. Paulson stated “Over these past weeks we have continued to examine the relative benefits of purchasing illiquid mortgage-related assets. Our assessment at this time is that this is not the most effective way to use TARP funds, but we will continue to examine whether targeted forms of asset purchase can play a useful role, relative to other potential uses of TARP resources, in helping to strengthen our financial system and support lending. But other strategies I will outline will help to alleviate the pressure of illiquid assets.” CNBC, Nov 12, 2008
• Streamlined Modification Program was announced yesterday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency in conjunction with the efforts of major banks. The objective is for servicers to take a proactive approach to assisting homeowners who are in risk of losing their homes. The main purpose of the program is to create a managable housing payment no greater than 38% of total debt to income. MarketWatch, Nov. 11, 2008
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development today New Mortgage Rules to curb costs and provide greater clarity of fees. Not only is the Good Faith Estimate and the HUD-1 Settlement Statement getting a modified look, but also a 10% cap on the adjustment of certain fees from the initial estimate. The new rules go into affect January 1, 2010. HUD No. 08-175

With all of the changes throughout the legislation landscape, you must wonder if the consumer is really being serviced. It is tough enough for professionals to absorb and comprehend the impacts of all the changes. Does Congress and Capitol Hill honestly believe that consumers have a clue on how they can initiate and benefit from all of the legal modifications?