Minimum Credit Score For FHA Loans Drops 40 Points

Lenders lower minimum FICO score for an FHA loan to 600

It's getting easier for home buyers to get approved for an FHA-backed home loan.

Major lenders are approving FHA mortgage applications for borrowers with credit scores of 600 or better, a 40-point buffer as compared to last year, when FHA lenders required credit scores of at least 640.

The news comes at a time when FHA loans are in demand. Its 3.5% downpayment requirement is among the most lenient for today's home buyers nationwide.

Click here to get an FHA mortgage rate quote.

FHA Loans Allow 3.5% Downpayment

FHA loans are an important component of the U.S. housing and mortgage market. FHA loans are loans which are insured by the Federal Housing Administration and made available to U.S. buyers and existing homeowners.

The FHA was formed in 1934 and it exists to provide affordable housing to Americans. Today, it's the largest insurer of mortgage loans worldwide.

The Federal Housing Administration doesn't actually make loans. Rather, it insures loans made by the nation's banks, providing protection against default and loss. In order to gain the FHA's protection, lenders must only make sure that the loan in question meets the lending standards as set forth by the FHA.

The FHA's rule book is known as "the FHA guidelines" and FHA guidelines describe all allowable loan traits, as well as the going terms of an Federal Housing Administration-backed loan.

For example, FHA guidelines state that home buyers must make a minimum downpayment of 3.5 percent against a home's purchase price; and that buyers can be cleared to buy a home 12 months after a bankruptcy, short sale, or foreclosure.

Guidelines also place limits on the size of an FHA-backed loan, which varies by county. FHA loan limits range from $271,200 for a single-family home to $1,202,925 for a 4-unit home.

Want to check your FHA eligibility? Click here.

Fewer FHA "Investor Overlays" Means More Approvals 

FHA mortgage guidelines define which loans the Federal Housing Administration will, and will not, insure.

However, U.S. lenders don't underwrite loans to the FHA guidelines as they're written, to the letter. They impose additional restrictions known as investor overlays which make it harder for an applicant to qualified for an FHA-backed loan.

One such overlay is linked to the FHA Streamline Refinance. 

According to the official Federal Housing Administration guidelines, with an FHA Streamline Refinance, lenders are not required to verify income, employment or credit scores. Yet, many lenders choose to verify regardless. This is because the FHA penalizes banks for making too many "bad loans" and verifications can cut down on defaults.

Another important overlay is linked to your credit score.

The FHA rules state that it will insure home loans for which the borrower has a credit score of 500 or higher. Banks, however, are reluctant to make such loans.

Buyers with credit scores of 500 are highly likely to default in the next 6 months, which would negatively affect a bank's FHA default rate, leading to fines, penalties, and perhaps, termination from the FHA insurance program.

Since late-2011, most banks have enforced a minimum credit score for FHA loans of 640. Effective immediately, that minimum score is lowered.

U.S. home buyers can now get an FHA loan with credit scores of just 600. And, as the domestic economy continues to improve; and, as U.S. housing regains lost value, it's likely that the minimum FHA FICO score will drop again.

Get Pre-Approved For An FHA Mortgage

For today's U.S. home buyers, the Federal Housing Administration mortgage is among the most lenient and forgiving mortgage programs available. The program requires a downpayment of just 3.5 percent and mortgage rates are among the lowest available.

And, now, with FHA loans available to buyers with FICO scores of 600 or better, the program figures to help even more active buyers with their home loan needs.

Find out whether you're FHA-eligible. Click here for today's rates. There is no cost, no obligation, and no social security number required to get started.

Click here for today's FHA mortgage rates.

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