Major changes go into affect on the FHA loan program on Monday July 14, 2008. These changes are very significant and will impact the affordability of these loans for many borrowers, especially those will less than stellar credit who can’t put 5% down. Basically, almost everybody in todays market.

Essentially, the Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP)and monthly Mortgage Insurance IMI) will now be risk based. Even though the borrower has the option to pay UFMIP in cash upfront, it is typically financed into the loan. Bear in mind that UFMIP is not part of the regular closing costs. FHA has always charged a flat upfront mortgage insurance premium for every borrower regardless of credit risk. Until last week UFMIP on the 30 year fixed FHA loan was at 1.5%. The monthly mortgage insurance payment has also always been fixed at 0.5% for the 30 Year loan. These percentages will now change effective Monday.

UFMIP will now be charged on a risk basis, i.e., based on your credit score. It will range from 1.25% for lower-risk borrowers to 2.25% for riskier borrowers. In dollar terms this means that on a $200,000 loan UFMIP can range from $2,500 to $4,500. Remember this is on top of the closing costs and down payment already due. Since this can be financed into the loan, your final loan amount will reflect this cost. Having poor credit will now be expensive even on FHA loans.

Monthly mortgage insurance will vary from 0.5% and 0.55% and is determined by the loan to value. If you are putting less than 5% down than its set to 0.55% but if you’re putting more than 5% down it will be 0.5%. Monthly mortgage insurance is calculated by multiplying the percentage to the loan amount and dividing by twelve. So on a $200,000 loan and a MI rate of 0.55% your monthly mortgage insurance payment is $83.34.

First time home buyers who fall in the hefty 2.25% UFMIP bracket do have a way to obtain a slight reduction to UFMIP. If you are borrowing more than 95% of the purchase price (loan to value) and your credit score is below 559 then you may be eligible for a reduction in your UFMIP by 0.25% - so it would be 2.00%. However, you need to complete a HUD-approved pre-purchase counseling session. FHA will only provide the discount after you have successfully completed the course and will ask for a certificate of completion.

Additional Reading on FHA: Is the FHA Loan Program Right For Me?

Relevant FHA Down Payment Assistance related posts on other blogs:

Arizona Republic Article on DPA
Dear HUD, Stop Being a Bully
Real Estate Road Signs - “Buy A House for $500 Down”
Down Payment Assistance Programs

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The Washington Post is alleging that Senator Obama received a special “discount” when he purchased his home in 2005. This is what is being reported:

He locked in an interest rate of 5.625 percent on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, below the average for such loans at the time in Chicago. The loan was unusually large, known in banker lingo as a “super super jumbo.” Obama paid no origination fee or discount points, as some consumers do to reduce their interest rates.

The article discloses the income of the Senator and the property type. Obviously this would have been a full documentation loan disclosing assets on a super-super Jumbo loan.

However, the article fails to mention one very important aspect of interest rates. The senators FICO score. This makes a big difference. The article states that the average loan rate for a similar program was 5.94 percent. So, supposedly he received a 30 basis point “discount”. Well considering the average credit score in Illinois is 684, if the Senators FICO score was well above 720+ then a 30 basis point difference is well within the range. So, I don’t understand why the Post is making such a big deal about a $300/month savings for a higher credit score borrower. They obviously don’t read my blog otherwise they would have read about the four corners of a mortgage.

Based on some of what I have read about the Senator, for example he has no revolving credit card debt and he’s lived frugally all his life, I have a hard time believing that he would have a below average credit score. This is pure speculation on my part and I have nothing to back it up. However, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on this.

I will reveal one thing on what I think about Senator Obama. Even though I disagree with most of his political platform, I like him. He’s a decent man, and an all American success story. I still admire him and have a lot of respect for him. I know he’s also a politician, but from what I have seen so far (especially after all these years of the Clinton and Bush slime machines) I believe when it comes to character he’s heads and shoulders above both of them.

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Whether you foreclose, do a short sale or go through a deed in lieu of foreclosure your credit is shot. The extent to which your score falls may differ, but as far as a how any future creditor is concerned they are all the same. Not only that but when you apply for credit in a few years, its really important to not have any derogatory items on your credit report for at least 24 months prior to an application. For example lets say you do a short sale this month (June 2008) and you apply for a mortgage in June 2011. Then you should not have any derogatory items (late payments) since June 2009. Also, from the recent changes to credit guidelines it may be well after 2011 that you can even apply for a mortgage loan.

I had discussed this point in response to a visitor question back in December 2007. Recently another reader, who happens to be a very knowledge mortgage broker, left me a comment clarifying the current guidelines and how things are viewed today. I figured it would be to everyones interest to have the comments published as a post. So, below is the response from Catherine Coy to my post from last December “Will “Forgiven” Debt Affect My Credit Score?”

You’re very mistaken as to the impact of foreclosure vs. short sale vs. deed-in-lieu.

As a mortgage broker myself, I get many calls these days from consumers wondering what affect a short sale or foreclosure (or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure) will have on their credit. This is an important topic because the last real estate downturn (during the 1990s) preceded the widespread use of FICO scoring and automated underwriting systems.

Some real estate agents and short sale investors (those seeking to purchase a homeowner’s property prior to foreclosure)–and even some mortgage professionals–suggest to the distressed homeowner that a short sale isn’t as damaging to one’s credit a