| FHA |
The Federal Housing Administration, generally known as "FHA", is the largest government insurer of mortgages in the world, insuring over 35 million properties since its inception in 1934. A part of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), FHA provides mortgage insurance on single-family, multifamily, manufactured homes and hospital loans made by FHA-approved lenders throughout the United States and its territories.
What is FHA Mortgage Insurance?
For the homebuyer, FHA-insured loans offer competitive rates, smaller down payments, greater flexibility in calculating household income and payment ratios, and protection requirements against foreclosures. For lenders our mortgage insurance protects lenders against loss if the homeowner defaults on his or her mortgage loan. While FHA insured-loans must meet certain requirements established by FHA to qualify for the insurance, lenders bear less risk because FHA will pay the lender if a homeowner defaults on his or her loan.
Why does FHA Mortgage Insurance exist?
Unlike conventional loans, FHA-insured loans require small down payments. There is more flexibility in an FHA loan than conventional loans in calculating household income and payment ratios. The cost of the mortgage insurance is passed along to the homeowner and typically is included in the monthly payment. In most cases, the insurance cost will drop off after five years or when the remaining balance on the loan is 78 percent of the value of the property-whichever is longer.
How is FHA funded?
FHA operates entirely from self-generated income and costs the taxpayers nothing. The proceeds from the mortgage insurance paid by the homeowners are captured in an account that is used to operate the program entirely. FHA provides a huge economic stimulation to the country in the form of home and community development, which trickles down to local communities in the form of jobs, building suppliers, tax bases, schools, and other forms of revenue.