07 Aug 09 FHA Having Trouble Insuring Reverse Mortgages
The increase in FHA funding authority means the government is following the marketplace. FHA mortgages now represent some 35% of all new financing, up from about 5% just a few years ago when the program was crowded out of the marketplace by bad credit loans. It would be counterproductive to restrict the program when FHA loans enjoy great public confidence, especially FHA loans for borrowers with poor credit. In this economy we need home buyers, reason enough to encourage people to enter the marketplace.
Reverse Mortgages: what HUD calls home equity conversion mortgages (HECMs) — those reverse mortgage loans remain attractive for many senior borrowers, but have become troublesome for HUD to insure because of falling home values. While HUD asked Congress for $800 million to subsidize the reverse mortgage program this year, Congress in this bill is saying forget it. Instead of more money, the bill requires HUD “to ensure that the program operates at a net zero subsidy rate.” Given that reverse mortgage are amazingly risky to insure in a slow market what can HUD do to meet the net zero requirement? It can cut back on the number of reverse mortgages it’s willing to insure, it can reduce the maximum amount it will cover, or both. The bottom line: If you want an FHA-insured reverse home loan it might be best to get one before October 1st, the start of the new fiscal year. Read the rest of the article at FHA Loan Pros.
Tags: bad credit loans, FHA, FHA loans, FHA mortgages, FHA-insured, HUD, reverse home loan, reverse mortgages
