HousingWire tells MHProNews.com the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will raise the mortgage insurance from one percent to 1.75 percent to make up for the drop in the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund below the Congressionally mandated two percent, to 0.2 percent. The FHA said the increase will add $1 billion to the MMI Fund, and combined with the nearly $1 billion coming from settlements with mortgage servicers, should allay fears professed by some analysts that FHA will need a government bailout much like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For loans under the $625,000 limit the annual insurance mortgage premium will increase by ten basis points in April; for loans above that amount the premium will increase by 35 basis points beginning in June. FHA Commissioner Carol Galante, addressing the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), said, “These modest increases are one of several measures we are taking towards meeting the Congressionally mandated 2% reserve threshold, while allowing FHA to remain a valuable option for low- to moderate-income borrowers.”
