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By G. Steven Bray
The House Financial Services Committee recently passed two bills out of committee that could make FHA loans more attractive.
The first, The FHA Loan Affordability Act, would repeal the requirement that FHA borrowers pay mortgage insurance for the life of their loans. Mortgage insurance on conventional loans automatically ends when the loan balance is 78% of the original home value.
Mortgage insurance can considerably increase a homebuyer’s mortgage payment. On a $250k 30-year loan, mortgage insurance adds $180 to the monthly payment.
Despite the pain of never-ending mortgage insurance, this FHA requirement really has been more of an annoyance than an impediment for homebuyers who want to use an FHA loan. Home price appreciation often allows FHA borrowers to refinance into a conventional loan with no mortgage insurance within a few years of purchase, and perpetually low mortgage rates have made that an attractive option.
Interestingly, the wording of the bill appears to disallow appreciation as a means of achieving the requisite home equity to cancel mortgage insurance. Thus, homebuyers with strong credit still may favor conventional loans.
The second bill, The Housing Financial Literacy Act, would provide a 14% discount on the the upfront mortgage insurance for FHA borrowers who complete a homebuyer course prior to closing. On that $250k 30-year loan, the discount would save a homebuyer $625.
Both bills now go to the full House for consideration.
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