Federal Housing Administration is raising premiums and taking other measures in order to bolster its capital reserves and reduce its exposure to risky loans.
Government-insured mortgages are about to get more expensive.
The Federal Housing Administration, which is the largest insurer of low-down payment mortgages, announced Wednesday that it will raise premiums by 10 basis points, or 0.1%, on most of the new mortgages it insures.
Translation: A borrower opting for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage who puts 5% or more down will now pay an annual insurance premium of 1.3% of their outstanding balance. And someone who puts less than 5% down will pay a premium of 1.35%.
The agency said it will also raise premiums for borrowers with jumbo loans -- or loans of $625,000 or more -- by 5 basis points, or 0.05%, and increase the minimum down payment requirement on these loans to 5% from 3.5%.
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FHA said it will require most buyers to pay insurance premiums for the life of their loan. A policy that was put in place in 2001 allowed borrowers to cancel premium payments once their debt fell below 78% of the principal balance. One exception will be for borrowers who put more than 10% down at the time of purchase.
Source: http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/31/real_estate/fha-mortgage-premiums/
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