The good news is that FHA has amended their policy, which I outlined in an August 2015 blog post. That post, was about the GSE’s underwriting policy with respect to borrowers with outstanding student loan debt and highlighted the proposed HUD/FHA new policy (upon implementation of Handbook 4000.1). The policy in August required lenders to calculate a monthly payment for…
Tag: FHA Federal Housing Authority
FHA’s Revised Loan Level Certification – What Lenders Need to Know
Yesterday, HUD has officially rolled out their revised 92900-A Form which will be effective for loan transactions that obtain their FHA case numbers on or after August 1, 2016 (Mortgagee Letter 2016-06). In comments accompanying this Mortgagee Letter, Ed Golding, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing, stated that “FHA is clearly identifying what lenders will be held accountable for –…
HUD REO Sales – Some Unintended Consequences
As the saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished!” In my blog post, dated February 24, 2016, I discussed a rather significant change in HUD/FHA policy with respect to the financing of HUD REO properties. Effective for transactions obtaining their FHA Case Number on and after March 14, 2016, lenders will be required to obtain a new appraisal if the…
“Stre—tching” the Ratios
HUD/FHA announced a new partnership between FHA and the Department of Energy (DOE) which incorporates the use of DOE’s innovative Home Energy Score into FHA’s current Energy Efficient Homes (EEH) program, in Mortgagee Letter 2015-22, dated September 30, 2015. If you currently work for a mortgage lender that originates FHA insured loans, you may ask what the significance is relative…
HUD REO Appraisal Changes – Beware the Ides of March
Lenders need to be aware of policy & procedural changes are being implemented by HUD/FHA on March 14, 2016. One of these changes involves a requirement to obtain a new appraisal when processing an FHA loan transaction on a HUD Real Estate Owned (REO) property. Under current guidelines, which have been in effect for many years, an “AS-IS” appraisal of…
Some Real Changes in FHA Condominium Project Approval Procedures
Some good news from Capitol Hill this past week came in the form of an announcement that the House approved a Bill (by a 427-0 margin) that would make substantive changes in FHA’s condominium project approval and recertification procedures. In my November 24, 2015, Blog Post, I discussed three subtle changes implemented by HUD/FHA (at that time) in its condominium…