Oct 25, 2011 | Mortgage Guidelines
The Federal Home Finance Agency announced big changes to its Home Affordable Refinance Program Monday. More commonly called HARP, the Home Affordable Refinance Program is meant to give “underwater homeowners” opportunity to refinance.
With average, 30-year fixed rate mortgages still hovering near 4.000 percent, there are more than a million homeowners in Fitchburg and nationwide who stand to benefit from the program overhaul.
To qualify for the re-released HARP program, you must meet 4 basic criteria :
- Your existing home loan must be guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac
- Your home must be a 1- to 4-unit property
- You must have a perfect mortgage payment history going back 6 months
- You may not have had more than one 30-day late payment on your mortgage going back 12 months
Most notable about the new HARP refinance program, though, is that the government is waiving loan-to-value requirements on a HARP loans. Homeowners’ participation in the program are no longer restricted by their home’s appraised value. In fact, the new HARP doesn’t even require an appraisal, in most instances.
With the new HARP program, underwater mortgages can be refinanced without LTV limit or penalty.
According to the government’s press release, pricing considerations for the new HARP program will be released on or before November 15, 2011; and lenders are expected to be offering the program as of December 1, 2011.
If you think you may be eligible, first confirm that either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac is backing your loan. Both groups provide a simple, online lookup.
If your loan cannot be located on either of these two sites, your current mortgage is not backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, and is not HARP-eligible.
The FHFA’s official press release contains an FAQ section. In it, you’ll find minimum qualification standards, as well as information related to condominiums and to mortgage insurance.
The HARP program is meant to help a wide group of homeowners, but each applicant’s situation is unique. For specific HARP questions, be sure to talk with a loan officer.
Oct 4, 2011 | Mortgage Guidelines
For homeowners in high-cost areas nationwide, conforming and FHA loan limits have dropped by as much as 14 percent.
Effective October 1, 2011, the temporary mortgage loan limits that allowed for non-jumbo loan sizes of up to $729,750 are no longer.
$729,750 is above the “normal” loan limit of $417,000.
The elevated limits were put in place in 2008 as the economy and financial sector entered its crisis. At the time, there was little private money to serve buyers and would-be refinancers whose loan sizes exceeded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s maximum $417,000 loan limits.
For most people whose loan sizes exceeded that threshold, mortgage financing was unavailable. There were no lenders to back the loan size.
This was of particular importance in places such as New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. where home prices routinely top $1 million. For people in these areas, unless they had a downpayment that could lower their respective loan sizes to $417,000 or lower, mortgages were mostly unavailable. (more…)
Sep 8, 2011 | Buying Real Estate, Mortgage Guidelines, Mortgage Lenders, Mortgage Rates
Mortgage guidelines appear to be tightening with the nation’s largest banks.
In its quarterly survey to senior loan officers nationwide, the Federal Reserve uncovered that a small, but growing, portion of its member banks is making mortgage approvals more scarce for “prime” borrowers.
A prime borrower is described as one with a well-documented payment history, high credit scores, and a low monthly debt-to-income ratio.
Of the 53 responding “big banks”, 3 reported that mortgage guidelines “tightened somewhat” last quarter. This is a tick higher as compared to prior quarters in which only 2 banks did.
46 banks reported guidelines unchanged from Q1 2011.
When mortgage guidelines tighten, it adds new hurdles for would-be home buyers in Fitchburg. Tighter lending standards means fewer approvals, and that can retard home sales across a region.
Just don’t confuse “tighter standards” with “oppressive standards”. (more…)
Jul 26, 2011 | Buying Real Estate, Mortgage Guidelines, Mortgage Lenders
The FHA is insuring a greater percentage of loans than during any time in recent history. In 2006, it insured roughly 5 percent of the purchase mortgage market. Today, it insures one-quarter. “Going FHA” is more common than ever before — but is it better?
The answer — like most things in mortgage — depends on your circumstance.
Like its conforming counterpart, an FHA-insured mortgage is available as a fixed-rate loan and as an adjustable-rate one. Payments are made monthly and come without prepayment penalties.
That’s where the similarities end, however, and decision-making begins. For homeowners and buyers across Worcester , FHA mortgages carry a different set rules as compared to conforming loans through Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac that can render them more — or less — attractive for financing. (more…)
