The Federal Housing Authority Announces Update to Student Loan Policies

Understanding which home loan program is the most beneficial for you when purchasing or refinancing a property is key to making a successful loan choice. Our loan officers are up to date on the best programs and newest guidelines and are here to educate you on your most advantageous options.

If you have current or past student loan payments, the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) updated policy could be great news for you! The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) helps buyers with low incomes and low down payments who may not qualify for conventional mortgages.  FHA insures the loans, giving lenders the confidence to provide financing to people who otherwise would not qualify.

Effective now, monthly student loan debt may be excluded from your debt-to-income ratio ( DTI) when the program, creditor, or student loan servicer indicates that the full loan balance has been forgiven, canceled, discharged, or otherwise paid in full.

For outstanding student loans, regardless of payment status, to calculate monthly obligations:

  • Use the payment amount reported on the credit report or the actual documented payment (when payment is above zero), or
  • Use .5 % of the outstanding loan balance, when the monthly payment reported on the credit report is zero.

What does this mean for borrowers with student loans?

This new update allows student loan debt to be calculated at 0.5% of the loan balance if the payment is not reported on the credit report when determining loan eligibility. This may give more purchasing power to some buyers with existing student loan debt.

For more information about these beneficial changes, contact one of our experienced loan officers today!

FHA Revises Condominium Requirements

After a long-awaited update, the FHA is finally issuing a change to condominium guidelines. It was announced Wednesday that spot approvals are back, and steps are being taken in order to loosen eligibility requirements. With these revised guidelines, FHA is expecting the update to qualify an additional 20,000-60,000 condo units per year.

Changes that will come with the new guidelines include extending the re-certification deadline for approved condo projects from two years to three and loosening restrictions on owner-occupancy rules allowing projects to just be 50% owner-occupied. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Ben Carson, is hopeful the updated guidelines will open doors and allow more opportunities for homeownership. “FHA is publishing a new rule in the Federal Register that we believe will offer significantly more options for individuals and families to buy a home, specifically the kind of home more and more people are looking for in order to achieve homeownership, and of course that is a condominium,” Carson stated. Out of the 150,000 condo projects across the country, just 6.5% have approved financing through FHA.

The National Associations of Realtors has been advocating for change in FHA requirements for over a decade and stated they are thrilled with the change and the opportunities that will now be available to prospective homebuyers. NAR President John Smaby stated, “This ruling, which culminates years of collaboration between HUD and NAR, will help reverse recent declines in condo sales and ensure the FHA is fulfilling its primary mission to the American people.”

The updated guidelines will take effect on October 15, 2019.

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