Rincon Hill Towers

by © big9dog

Alaska and Hawaii are benefitting from a conforming loan limit of 625,000, but California is currently only 417,000.  Hawaii is expensive, and the residents of Alaska and Hawaii cannot be blamed for taking advantage of these favorable limits they have been granted by the powers of congress.   But finally, California and other high cost areas will receive the benefit of lower rates offered by GSE’s that was long overdue.  

From a CAR & Bloomberg update, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage finance companies, will be allowed to buy loans worth as much as $729,750 for loans made between July 31, 2007 and Dec. 31, 2008, an increase over the current $417,000 loan limit, a move that could help struggling homeowners to refinance large mortgages at a lower interest rate. It will also allow the Federal Housing Administration to insure loans as high as $729,750 in expensive markets

Congress Sends President Stimulus Package — Final Bill Includes Increased Loan Limits

Final Details Will be Available Soon —

The Senate passed their version of an economic stimulus package today, Thursday, February 07, 2008.  The Senate version expands rebate checks for seniors and disabled veterans and includes the same increases to the conforming loan limits for both GSE and FHA found in the House stimulus package.  The House just passed the Senate version of the bill  and it will now be sent to the White House. The President is expected to sign the legislation by the end of next week, ahead of the Congressional self-appointed deadline of February 15^th.   The increase in the conforming loan limits will last through 2008, but C.A.R. and NAR continue to lobby for FHA and GSE reform,  making these increases permanent.

 The U.S. House of Representatives passed a stimulus package last week that raised the FHA and conforming loan limits to as high as $729,750 in high-cost areas.  By increasing the loan limits, borrowers will see immediate relief with new liquidity in the mortgage market and the nation will see an additional 300,000 home sales.  Research shows that an increase in the FHA limit would enable an additional 138,000 Americans to purchase homes, and 200,000 families to refinance their homes safely and affordably.

 Increasing the FHA loan limits is critical to bolstering California’s housing market.  Current law restricts FHA loans to levels well below the median home price in many areas of the country and caps loans in high cost states at $363,790. These limits are preventing many homebuyers from using FHA to purchase or refinance their loan.  The proposed provision will increase FHA loan limits nationwide by raising the floor to $271,050 and the limit to 125% of local median home prices. 

 Additionally, raising Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (GSEs) conforming loan limit will provide immediate relief to borrowers and alleviate downward pressure on current housing markets.  For instance, increasing the GSE loan limit could result in more than 300,000 additional home sales and strengthen current home prices by 2-3%.

 The critical role that GSEs play in providing liquidity to the mortgage market has never been more evident than it is today.  The national subprime meltdown has had a dramatic impact on both the cost and availability of mortgages in many markets.  Since August 2007, the interest rates for jumbo borrowers have been more than 1 percentage point higher than conforming loans, which can cost homeowners up to $400 month in higher interest payments.