article thumbnail

Conforming, FHA loan limits rose for 2024, but who benefits? 

Housing Wire

The latest baseline increase in conforming loan limits has enabled loan originator Dave Krichmar’s client to make a 5% down payment instead of 10%. The self-employed homebuyer found an $800,000 home in Texas, but with the conforming loan limit for 2023 being $726,200, the buyer needed a jumbo loan or a bank statement loan.

FHA loan 387
article thumbnail

NexTier Bank to acquire Mars Bank

Housing Wire

NexTier , the holding company of NexTier Bank , will acquire Mars Bancorp , the holding company of Mars Bank. The combined company and branch locations will operate under the NexTier Bank brand, both banks said in a release Thursday. With the acquisition, NexTier Bank will have total assets in excess of $2.6

Banks 330
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

As mortgage rates near 8%, loan originators target first-time homebuyers

Housing Wire

In an environment where 30-year fixed mortgage rates are racing towards 8%, loan officer pipelines are thinning dramatically. But LOs who cater to first-time homebuyers’ needs – offering FHA loans and down payment assistance loans — are faring better, Michael Ullmann, producing branch leader at Movement Mortgage , explained. “So

FHA loan 437
article thumbnail

FHA does a solid for mortgage credit rejects. Will it move the needle for loan officers?

Housing Wire

Adrian Gastelum, a vice president and branch manager at Nova Home Loans, recently had a prospective borrower apply for a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage. FHA guidelines require a two-year work history and allow for a gap of one month or longer in employment with a letter of explanation.

article thumbnail

Opinion: Agencies are key to fixing housing affordability

Housing Wire

With the Federal Reserve gone AWOL on purchasing mortgage loans, mortgage rates have doubled and spreads over 10-year Treasuries are at historical highs. In late 2021, Congress renewed a 10-basis point tax on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans for another decade — not based on loan risk, but to pay for non-housing spending.

FHA loan 430
article thumbnail

What to Know About FHA Loans

Realty Biz

If qualifying for a conventional loan is difficult, and you aren't eligible for VA or USDA loans, an FHA loan could be the answer. FHA loans allow you to pay 3.5% But there are also downsides to FHA-insured loans. So is this type of loan right for you? What are FHA Loans?

article thumbnail

Housing authorities and lenders added 54 homebuyer assistance programs in Q3: report

Housing Wire

A total of 224 programs will fund certain upfront loan fees including the upfront mortgage insurance premium on FHA loans , the funding fee on VA loans and the guarantee fees on USDA loans. Some 10% of the programs are first mortgages and 3% of programs are mortgage credit certificates (MCCs).

FHA loan 436