The F.H.A. announced last month that it was raising the annual mortgage insurance premium for borrowers by a quarter of a percentage point - to 1.1 or 1.15 percent of the loan amount for 30-year fixed-rate loans, and 0.25 or 0.50 for 15-year or shorter-term loans.
The higher premium applies to F.H.A. loans taken out on or after April 18.
The agency called the change a "marginal increase" that would be "affordable for almost all home buyers who would qualify for a new loan." But industry experts say that some consumers, especially those considered marginal borrowers, may now be prevented from buying or refinancing a property.
The annual premium for 30-year loans was already changed in November, to 0.85 percent or 0.9 percent; the level used to be 0.50 percent or 0.55 percent. (The annual premium for 15-year or shorter-term loans, previously zero to 0.25 percent, did not change at that time.)
The increase does not apply to F.H.A. loans already in place, or to F.H.A. reverse mortgages or home-equity conversion (HECM) loans.
According to the housing administration, the new rate structure would raise the cost of a $157,000 mortgage, a typical F.H.A. loan amount, by about $33 a month, or $396 a year. The agency requires that all borrowers of loans it insures pay the premium. Consumers with non-F.H.A. loans who put down less than 20 percent are typically required by their lenders to take out private mortgage insurance, to insure the lender against the risk of default.
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