Archive for FHA
Lake Geneva Real Estate – FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums Increasing April 9, 2012
Posted by: | Comments
Planning to use an FHA-backed mortgage for your next home loan? You might want to get your application in gear today.
Beginning next week, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is changing the way it charges mortgage insurance to U.S. homeowners. For the fourth time since 2010, FHA mortgage insurance premiums are rising for all FHA-backed homeowners.
For FHA Case Numbers assigned on, or after, Monday, April 9, 2012, there are two planned changes.
First, FHA Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premiums (UFMIP) will increase by 75 basis points to 1.75%, or $1,750 per $100,000 borrowed. Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium is paid at closing, and typically added to an FHA borrower’s loan size.
The current UFMIP rate is 1.000 percent.
Second, annual FHA mortgage insurance premiums are rising. All new FHA-backed loans will be subject to a 10 basis point increase in annual mortgage insurance premiums, costing homeowners an extra $100 per $100,000 borrowed per year.
The new FHA annual mortgage insurance premium schedule follows:
- 15-year loan term, loan-to-value > 90% – 0.60% MIP per year
- 15-year loan term, loan-to-value <= 90% - 0.35% MIP per year
- 15-year loan term, loan-to-value <= 78% - 0.00% MIP per year
- 30-year loan term, loan-to-value > 95% - 1.25% MIP per year
- 30-year loan term, loan-to-value <= 95% - 1.20% MIP per year
In addition, for loans above $625,500 (not available in Wisconsin), beginning with FHA Case Numbers assigned on, or after, June 11, 2012, there will be an additional 25 basis point increase in annual MIP.
To calculate your monthly MIP obligation as a FHA homeowners, multiply your starting loan size by your insurance rate from the list above, then divide by 12.
Note that the FHA mortgage insurance changes apply to new FHA Case Numbers only. If you have an FHA mortgage approval in-process, or an existing FHA home loan, you are not subject to the new MIP schedule. To avoid paying the FHA’s new MIP schedule, therefore, begin your FHA mortgage application today.
Once your FHA Case Number is assigned, you’re locked in to today’s lower premiums.
FHA Drops Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium To 0.01% For Qualified Borrowers
Posted by: | Comments
The FHA is making more changes to its flagship FHA Streamline Refinance program.
Beginning mid-June 2012, certain current, FHA-backed homeowners will be able to refinance their existing FHA mortgage into a new one, without having to pay the government-backed group’s new, costly mortgage insurance premium schedule.
Earlier this week, the FHA rolled out its new MIP schedule.
Beginning April 9, 2012, new FHA mortgages are subject to a 1.75% upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP) and an annual mortgage insurance premium of up to 1.25% for loan sizes up to, and including, $625,500; or 1.60% for loan sizes exceeding $625,500.
Upfront MIP is typically added to the loan size as a lump sum. Annual MIP is paid via 12 monthly installments. Both add to the long-term costs of homeownership.
However, the FHA’s new MIP schedules will not apply to all FHA-backed homeowners equally. Homeowners whose FHA mortgages were endorsed prior to June 1, 2009 will benefit from a different, less costly MIP schedule.
For these homeowners in search of a streamline, the MIP schedule is as follows :
- Upfront MIP : 0.01% of the loan size
- Annual MIP : 0.55% of the loan size, with no adjuster for loan sizes over $625,500
The new schedule is detailed in FHA Mortgagee Letter 12-04 and it lowers the cost of FHA Streamline Refinancing for long-time, FHA-backed households in Wisconsin and nationwide to almost nothing.
As a real-life example, an FHA-backed homeowner whose $100,000 mortgage dates to 2008 could refinance via the FHA Streamline Refinance program and pay just $10 in upfront MIP, with a corresponding annual MIP payment of just $550, or $45.83 monthly.
By comparison, every other FHA-backed homeowner with a $100,000 mortgage pays $1,750 in UFMIP and as much as $1,600 in annual MIP.
The new streamline refinance MIP schedule is in effect for FHA mortgage applications with case numbers assigned on, or after, June 11, 2012. It is not available for loan applications made prior to that date.
There are lots of dates and deadlines in the FHA’s new streamline program. If you’re too early — or too late — you could miss your optimal refinance window. Talk with your loan officer, therefore, and put a plan in place. You’ll be glad to be prepared.
Lake Geneva Real Estate – FHA To Raise Mortgage Insurance Premiums April 1, 2012
Posted by: | Comments
Beginning April 1, 2012, the FHA is once again raising mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) on its newly-insured borrowers throughout Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and the country.
It’s the FHA’s fourth such increase in the last two years.
Beginning April 1, 2012, upfront mortgage insurance premiums will be higher by 75 basis points, or 0.75%; and annual mortgage insurance premiums will be higher by 10 basis points per year, or 0.10%.
For borrowers with a loan size of $200,000, the new MIP will add $1,500 in one-time loan costs, plus an on-going, annual $200 increase in total mortgage insurance premiums paid.
All new FHA loans are subject to the increase — purchases and refinances.
The FHA is increasing its mortgage insurance premiums because, as an entity, the FHA is insuring a much larger percentage of the U.S. mortgage market than ever before.
In 2006, the FHA insured 2 percent of all purchase-money mortgages. In 2011, that figure jumped to 18 percent. Unfortunately, as the FHA has insured more loans, it’s number of loans in default have climbed, too, forcing the FHA to boost its reserves.
Beginning April 1, 2012, the new FHA annual mortgage insurance premium schedule is as follows:
- 15-year loan term, loan-to-value > 90% - 0.60% MIP per year
- 15-year loan term, loan-to-value <= 90% - 0.35% MIP per year
- 30-year loan term, loan-to-value > 95% - 1.25% MIP per year
- 30-year loan term, loan-to-value <= 95% - 1.20% MIP per year
In order to calculate what your FHA annual mortgage insurance premium would be on a monthly basis, multiply your beginning loan size by your insurance premium in the chart above, then divide by 12.
In addition, for loans over $625,500, beginning June 1, 2012, there is an additional 25 basis point increase to annual MIP.
To avoid paying the new FHA mortgage insurance premiums, start your FHA mortgage application today. Existing FHA-insured homeowners will not be affected by the change.
Mortgage insurance premiums will not rise for loans already made.
Maximum FHA Loan Limits Restored To $729,750
Posted by: | Comments
After a brief return to lower, pre-2009 levels, FHA loan limits have been restored. As signed into law last Friday, maximum FHA loan limits are — once again — as high as $729,750.
The move creates additional mortgage financing possibilities in more than 650 U.S. counties, and promises to increase the FHA’s mortgage market share, which has grown from 6% in 2007 to roughly 30% today.
The change in FHA loan limits also marks the first time that FHA loan limits exceed those of conventional mortgage-backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Conventional loans remain capped at a maximum of $625,500.
For home buyers in Lake Geneva mortgage and nationwide, FHA-insured mortgage offer several advantages over comparable conventional loans, the most commonly cited of which is that FHA-insured loans require a down payment of just 3.5 percent.
FHA-insured mortgages carry other advantages, too, however.
First, FHA home loans are not subject to loan-level pricing adjustments (LLPA). This means that, all things equal, buyers and would-be refinancers with credit scores below 740; or, who live in multi-unit homes; or, who have high loan-to-values are not subject to additional loan fees as a conventional mortgage applicant might.
Second, after 6 months of on-time payments, FHA-backed homeowners are eligible for the FHA Streamline Refinance. The FHA Streamline Refinance is among the simplest loan products for which to qualify with no appraisal required. Even if you’re “underwater” on your mortgage, you can still be streamline-eligible.
And, lastly, at least in today’s market, FHA mortgage rates are below those of the conventional market.
The downside of FHA financing, however, is that all FHA mortgages require mortgage insurance and FHA mortgage rates are often higher versus a comparable conventional loan. This means that, although its mortgage rate may be lower, the payment for an FHA home loan may be higher as compared to a Fannie Mae mortgage with similar credit traits.
FHA loans aren’t always optimal, but with higher FHA loan limits, expect the FHA’s market share to increase.
Check your local FHA loan limit at the HUD website.
After this week ends, the FHA is raising mortgage insurance premiums on its new Lake Geneva mortgage borrowers. It’s the FHA’s third such increase in the last 12 months.
Beginning with FHA Case Numbers assigned April 18, 2011, mortgage insurance premiums will be higher by 25 basis points per year, or 0.25%.
Against a $200,000 loan size, the MIP increase adds $500 to an FHA-insured borrower’s annual cost of homeownership. All new FHA loans are subject to the increase — purchases and refinances.
Existing FHA-insured homeowners across Wisconsin are unaffected. Premiums do not rise for loans already made.
The FHA is increasing its mortgage insurance rates because, as a group, the FHA is insuring a much larger percentage of the U.S. housing market.
In 2006, the FHA held a 4 percent market share. By 2010, that share ballooned to 19 percent and, today, it’s estimated to be even higher.
In its official statement, the FHA says that the quarter-point MIP bump will “significantly strengthen” its reserves which are depleted because of delinquencies and defaults. By law, the FHA’s capital reserves must meet certain levels.
Therefore, to meet these requirements, the FHA is rolling out its new mortgage insurance premium schedule:
- 15-year loan term, loan-to-value > 90% : 0.50% MIP per year
- 15-year loan term, loan-to-value <= 90% : 0.25% MIP per year
- 30-year loan term, loan-to-value > 95% : 1.15% MIP per year
- 30-year loan term, loan-to-value <= 95% : 1.10% MIP per year
In order to calculate what your FHA monthly mortgage insurance premium would be, multiply your beginning loan size by your insurance premium in the chart above, then divide by 12.
The FHA also charges a 1 percent, up-front mortgage insurance premium at closing. That figure remains unchanged.
Higher (And Lower) Lake Geneva FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums Start October 4, 2010
Posted by: | Comments
For the second time this year, the FHA is modifying mortgage insurance.
Beginning with FHA case numbers issued on or after October 4, 2010, the FHA is changing its upfront and annual mortgage insurance premium structure.
Under the new terms, assuming a 30-year fixed rate Lake Geneva FHA mortgage with at least 5 percent equity:
- Upfront MIP drops to 1.000% of the amount borrowed from 2.250%
- Annual MIP increases to 0.850% of the amount borrowed from 0.500%
For homeowners of Lake Geneva real estate and everywhere else , this switch in MIP decreases the upfront cost of an FHA-insured mortgage, but increases the loan’s long-term costs.
Using a $100,000 mortgage as an example, upfront MIP falls to $1,000 from $2,250; monthly MIP jumps to $70.83 from $41.67. The FHA expects the change will yield an additional $300 million in premiums monthly.
The update is a huge win for the FHA whose reserve funds are self-proclaimed to be “perilously low.” The extra monies should help recapitalize and stabilize the government group.
The FHA is on pace to back 1.7 million loans this year.
For the majority of refinancing FHA homeowners and home buyers, the MIP change is neither good nor bad — the borrowing landscape will just looks a bit different. Yes, Lake Geneva loans will cost more to carry each month, but also they’ll be less expensive to procure. It’s a trade-off and you can apply math formulas to solve for the best time to apply FHA.
It may be wise to get your FHA case number before October 4, for example, depending on your time frame in the home and the expected life of the mortgage. Or, it may be better to wait until after October 4 to apply.
If you’re unsure of how the new FHA mortgage premiums will impact your mortgage, be sure to call or email me for help.
NOTE : The FHA originally announced an implementation date of September 7. It was subsequently amended to October 4, 2010.