The FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance
Program: Financial Status and Related
Current Issues
Katie Jones
Analyst in Housing Policy
December 21, 2012
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R42875
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Summary
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insures home mortgages made by private lenders
against the possibility of borrower default. If the borrower does not repay the mortgage, FHA
pays the lender the remaining principal amount owed. By insuring lenders against the possibility
of borrower default, FHA is intended to expand access to mortgage credit to households, such as
those with smaller downpayments or below-average credit histories, who might not otherwise be
able to obtain a mortgage at an affordable interest rate or at all. FHA also traditionally plays a
countercyclical role in the mortgage market. In other words, it generally insures more mortgages
during periods when lenders and private mortgage insurers tighten their lending standards and
reduce activity in response to market conditions, and it generally insures fewer mortgages at
times when lenders and private mortgage insurers make mortgage credit more easily available.
When an FHA-insured mortgage goes to foreclosure, the lender files a claim with FHA for the
remaining amount owed on the mortgage. Claims on FHA-insured loans have traditionally been
paid out of an account, known as the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMI Fund), that is
funded through fees paid by borrowers, rather than through appropriations. However, if FHA
were ever unable to pay claims that it owed, it can draw on permanent and indefinite budget
authority with the U.S. Treasury to pay those claims without additional congressional action.
In recent years, increased default and foreclosure rates, as well as economic factors such as
falling house prices, have contributed to an increase in expected losses on FHA-insured loans.
This increase in expected losses has put pressure on the MMI Fund and reduced the amount of
resources that FHA has on hand to pay for additional, unexpected future losses. This has led to
concern that FHA may need to draw on its permanent and indefinite budget authority for funds
from Treasury to hold in reserve to pay for these higher expected future losses, or, eventually, to
pay insurance claims. An annual actuarial review of the MMI Fund released in November 2012
showed that, according to current estimates, FHA does not currently have enough funds on hand
to cover all of its expected future losses on the loans that it currently insures. The results of this
actuarial review heightened concerns that FHA could need funds from Treasury. However,
whether FHA actually needs to draw funds from Treasury would be determined as part of the
annual budget process, not by the actuarial review.
FHA faces an inherent tension between protecting its financial health and fulfilling its mission of
expanding access to mortgage credit. In addition, the share of mortgages insured by FHA has
increased in the past several years as the availability of mortgage credit has tightened, further
contributing to this tension. FHA has recently proposed or implemented a number of changes to
its single-family mortgage insurance program that are intended to minimize risk to the MMI Fund
while still allowing FHA to support the mortgage market and expand access to affordable
mortgages. These changes have included increasing the fees that it charges to borrowers for
insurance, modifying its underwriting criteria, and taking steps to increase oversight of lenders
who make FHA-insured loans. While many of these changes were made administratively by
FHA, some involved congressional action. Congress has also weighed additional changes to
FHA’s programs, and has considered additional legislation aimed at protecting the financial health
of the MMI Fund. An example of such a bill is the FHA Emergency Fiscal Solvency Act of 2012
(H.R. 4264), which passed the House of Representatives during the 112th Congress. An identical
bill (S. 3678) has been introduced in the Senate.
Congressional Research Service
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
FHA’s Role in the Mortgage Market ................................................................................................ 1
Background on FHA-Insured Mortgages .................................................................................. 2
FHA’s Market Share .................................................................................................................. 4
Financial Status of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund ............................................................... 7
Default Rates on FHA-Insured Loans ....................................................................................... 7
The Role of Economic Conditions, Projections, and Assumptions ......................................... 11
The MMI Fund in the Federal Budget ..................................................................................... 11
Credit Reform Accounting and Credit Subsidy Rates ....................................................... 11
Credit Subsidy Rate Re-estimates ..................................................................................... 14
The MMI Fund Account Balances .................................................................................... 15
Permanent and Indefinite Budget Authority ...................................................................... 17
Annual Actuarial Review and 2% Capital Ratio Requirement ................................................ 18
Selected Recent FHA Policy Changes ........................................................................................... 20
Mortgage Origination and Underwriting Changes .................................................................. 21
Mortgage Insurance Premium Increases ........................................................................... 21
Changes to Downpayment and Credit Score Requirements.............................................. 22
Proposed Reduction in Allowable Seller Concessions ...................................................... 25
Prohibition on Seller-Funded Downpayment Assistance .................................................. 26
Lender Monitoring and Risk Management .............................................................................. 27
Net Worth Requirements for FHA-Insured Lenders ......................................................... 27
Elimination of Approval of Loan Correspondents ............................................................ 28
Chief Risk Officer ............................................................................................................. 29
Increased Oversight of FHA-Approved Lenders .............................................................. 29
Additional Changes Announced with the FY2012 Actuarial Review ..................................... 30
Changes Affecting Loans Already Insured ........................................................................ 31
Changes Affecting Future Loans ....................................................................................... 31
Selected Legislative Proposals ................................................................................................ 32
Figures
Figure 1. FHA Share of the Mortgage Market, 2001-2011 .............................................................. 5
Figure 2. Serious Delinquency Rates ............................................................................................... 9
Figure 3. Percentage of Newly Originated FHA-Insured Mortgages (by Dollar Volume)
by Borrower FICO Score ............................................................................................................ 25
Tables
Table 1. MMI Fund Credit Subsidy Rates and Re-estimates ......................................................... 15
Table 2. MMI Fund Account Balances, FY2008-FY2012 ............................................................. 16
Table 3. FHA Single-Family Forward Mortgage Insurance Premiums (MIPs) ............................. 22
Table 4. Required Downpayments for FHA-Insured Mortgages ................................................... 23
Congressional Research Service
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Table 5. MMI Fund’s Actuarial Position, FY2006-FY2012 .......................................................... 39
Table 6. Projections of MMI Fund Capital Ratio in the Future, FY2012-FY2019 ........................ 40
Appendixes
Appendix. Annual Actuarial Review of the MMI Fund ................................................................ 34
Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 41
Congressional Research Service
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Introduction
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insures home mortgages made to individuals by
private lenders. If the individual does not repay the mortgage and the home goes to foreclosure,
FHA pays the lender the remaining amount that the borrower owes. FHA was established by the
National Housing Act of 1934, in the aftermath of the Great Depression, and became part of HUD
in 1965. The National Housing Act has been amended a number of times to allow FHA to insure a
wider variety of mortgages than just mortgages on single-family homes, including mortgages on
multifamily buildings, hospitals, and other health care facilities. This report only addresses FHA’s
traditional single-family mortgage insurance program, which insures mortgages to purchase or
refinance single-family (one-to-four unit) homes with principal balances under a certain
threshold. Except where otherwise specified, this report does not discuss FHA-insured reverse
mortgages, although these mortgages are financed through the same insurance account as
traditional FHA-insured single-family mortgages.1
This report begins with a brief overview of FHA’s current role in the mortgage market. It then
describes the financial status of the insurance fund that finances FHA-insured single-family
mortgages, known as the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, including its treatment in the federal
budget and measures of its actuarial soundness. Finally, it outlines major changes that FHA has
recently made or has proposed making to its single-family mortgage insurance program to
address concerns about its financial stability, as well as additional changes considered by
Congress. Although this report provides a description of FHA’s current role in the mortgage
market to provide context, it does not address ongoing debate about the appropriate role for FHA
in the mortgage market going forward.
FHA’s Role in the Mortgage Market
FHA is one of three government agencies that provide insurance or guarantees on certain home
mortgages made by private lenders, along with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).2 FHA is the most broadly targeted of these
federal mortgage insurance programs. Unlike VA- and USDA-insured mortgages, the availability
of FHA-insured mortgages is not limited by income, veteran status, or whether the property is
located in a rural area. However, the availability or attractiveness of FHA-insured mortgages may
be limited by other factors, such as the maximum mortgage amount that FHA will insure, the fees
that it charges for insurance, and its underwriting criteria.3
1 Reverse mortgages allow elderly homeowners to access the equity in their homes as a source of income. The lender
makes payments to the borrower, and is repaid with the proceeds from the sale of the home when the homeowner dies
or chooses to no longer occupy the property. For more information on FHA-insured reverse mortgages, see CRS Report
RL33843, Reverse Mortgages: Background and Issues, by Bruce E. Foote.
2 VA provides guarantees on certain home mortgages made to veterans, and USDA insures certain home mortgages
made to lower-income households in rural areas. For more information on VA- and USDA-guaranteed mortgages, see
CRS Report R42504, VA Housing: Guaranteed Loans, Direct Loans, and Specially Adapted Housing Grants, by Libby
Perl; and CRS Report RL31837, An Overview of USDA Rural Development Programs, by Tadlock Cowan.
3 For more information on the specific features and requirements of FHA-insured loans, see CRS Report RS20530,
FHA-Insured Home Loans: An Overview, by Katie Jones.
Congressional Research Service
1
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Background on FHA-Insured Mortgages
FHA insures mortgages made by private lenders against the possibility that the borrower will
default on the mortgage. If the borrower does default on his or her mortgage and the loan goes to
foreclosure, the lender submits an insurance claim to FHA. FHA pays the lender the amount still
owed on the mortgage, and the lender conveys the foreclosed property to FHA to sell. To be
eligible for FHA insurance, borrowers and mortgages must meet certain criteria, and lenders must
be approved by FHA. FHA charges borrowers upfront and annual fees, known as mortgage
insurance premiums, for the insurance. Historically, claims on FHA-insured mortgages have been
paid for by these mortgage insurance premiums.
FHA-insured loans are generally obtained by homebuyers who might find it difficult, or more
expensive, to obtain a mortgage in the absence of insurance. FHA-insured mortgages have lower
downpayment requirements than most conventional mortgages. (Conventional mortgages are
mortgages that are not insured by FHA or guaranteed by another government agency, such as VA
or USDA.)4 FHA will insure mortgages with downpayments as low as 3.5%. Because saving for a
downpayment is often the biggest barrier to homeownership for first-time homebuyers and lower-
or moderate-income borrowers, the smaller downpayment requirement for FHA-insured loans
may allow these types of households to obtain a mortgage earlier than they otherwise could.
Likewise, FHA-insured mortgages also have less stringent requirements related to credit history
than many conventional loans. This might make FHA-insured mortgages attractive to borrowers
without credit histories or with weaker credit histories, who would either find it difficult to take
out a mortgage absent FHA insurance, or may find it more expensive to do so.5
Mortgages with smaller downpayments or made to borrowers with weaker credit histories are
generally considered riskier than mortgages made to borrowers with higher downpayments and
stronger credit histories. Therefore, in the absence of some kind of insurance, lenders might be
unwilling to offer mortgages to these borrowers, or would charge higher interest rates to
compensate for the increased risk that might be more than many of these borrowers could afford.
This has led to a concern that some qualified borrowers who can sustain monthly mortgage
payments might be unable to obtain affordable mortgages in the absence of mortgage insurance.
By insuring the lender against the possibility of borrower default, mortgage insurance is intended
to make lenders more willing to offer affordable mortgages to these borrowers.
In addition to government agencies such as FHA, private companies also offer mortgage
insurance, known as private mortgage insurance (PMI). Conventional mortgages with
downpayments of less than 20% are generally required to carry PMI.6 FHA insurance, therefore,
can act as an alternative to private mortgage insurance.7
4 Conventional mortgages can include mortgages that are purchased by the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs)
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Although technically not government agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are
currently under government conservatorship and are receiving government financial assistance. Mortgages that meet
Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s criteria are referred to as conforming mortgages.
5 Historically, many FHA-insured mortgages are made to borrowers with credit scores on the lower end of the
spectrum. However, given the tightening of mortgage credit in response to the economic downturn in recent years,
FHA has recently been insuring a greater share of mortgages to borrowers with higher credit scores. This is discussed
in more detail in the “Changes to Downpayment and Credit Score Requirements” section later in this report.
6 One reason for this is the requirements of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which influence a large part of the mortgage
market. By statute, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cannot purchase mortgages where the mortgage amount exceeds 80%
of the value of the home unless the mortgage includes some kind of credit enhancement, such as private mortgage
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
2
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
There are some differences between PMI and FHA insurance. For one thing, FHA insures the
entire principal amount of the mortgage, while private mortgage insurance generally covers the
amount of the mortgage that exceeds an 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV).8 Furthermore, PMI
companies generally use a different fee structure than FHA, and often charge borrowers fees that
vary based on features of the mortgage such as the loan-to-value ratio. FHA charges most
borrowers the same fees regardless of credit score or loan-to-value ratio, except that there is a
slight difference in the annual premium charged to loans with LTVs above or below 95%.9
Whether PMI or FHA insurance is a more attractive option for a specific borrower will depend on
a number of factors, including the respective underwriting standards and the fees charged by PMI
companies and FHA at a given point in time and the specifics of the mortgage in question. In
addition, private mortgage insurance companies are more likely to tighten their standards or
reduce the number of loans they insure during economic downturns, but FHA insurance generally
remains available to qualified borrowers regardless of market conditions.
There is no income limit to qualify for an FHA-insured mortgage. There is also not a specific
minimum income requirement, although FHA borrowers must be fully underwritten in
accordance with FHA criteria to ensure that they are an acceptable credit risk and have sufficient
income or assets to repay a mortgage.10 There is also a maximum mortgage amount that FHA will
insure, which is set in statute and varies by area, with a national ceiling that cannot be exceeded.11
Although borrowers of any income are eligible for FHA-insured mortgages, there are several
reasons that wealthier borrowers or those who can afford larger downpayments would probably
not choose an FHA-insured mortgage in most circumstances. For example, borrowers who can
afford a downpayment of at least 20% can generally obtain a conventional loan without mortgage
insurance of any kind. Furthermore, wealthier individuals are more likely to buy more expensive
homes, and the maximum mortgage amount that FHA will insure might not be enough to
purchase such homes.
Since FHA-insured mortgages are often obtained by borrowers who cannot make large
downpayments or those with weaker credit histories, some have questioned whether FHA-insured
(...continued)
insurance.
7 Borrowers with less than a 20% downpayment can have options other than mortgage insurance. For example, during
the mid-2000s, it became more common for borrowers to take out a “piggyback loan,” or a second mortgage to cover
part or all of the purchase price that exceeded 80% of the value of the home. These types of loans became much less
common as mortgage credit standards tightened in response to economic and housing market turmoil in the late 2000s.
8 The loan-to-value ratio, or LTV, is the amount borrowed expressed as a percentage of the value of the home. For
example, if someone puts down a 20% downpayment and takes out a mortgage for 80% of the home’s purchase price,
the LTV is 80%.
9 In 2008, FHA announced that it planned to start charging mortgage insurance premiums that would vary based on
loan-to-value ratios and credit scores. Congress imposed a one-year moratorium on this pricing structure in the Housing
and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-289). FHA has not announced plans to move forward with such a
pricing structure since the expiration of the moratorium. For more information, see FHA Mortgagee Letters 08-16 and
08-22 at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/administration/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/2008ml.
10 FHA’s underwriting criteria can be found in FHA Handbook 4155.1, “Mortgage Credit Analysis for Mortgage
Insurance on One- to Four-Unit Mortgage Loans,” available at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/
program_offices/administration/hudclips/handbooks/hsgh/4155.1.
11 For more information on the maximum loan amounts that FHA insures, see CRS Report RS20530, FHA-Insured
Home Loans: An Overview, by Katie Jones. For a discussion of recent debate about whether the loan limits should be
allowed to decline in some areas, see CRS Report R42145, Housing Issues in the 112th Congress, coordinated by Katie
Jones.
Congressional Research Service
3
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
mortgages are similar to subprime mortgages.12 FHA-insured mortgages and subprime mortgages
may appeal to some of the same pool of borrowers. However, FHA-insured mortgages are
prohibited from carrying the full range of features that many subprime mortgages could carry. For
example, FHA-insured loans must be fully documented, and they cannot include features such as
negative amortization.13 (FHA mortgages can include adjustable interest rates.) Nevertheless, the
types of mortgages that FHA insures are generally perceived to be riskier for lenders relative to
conventional prime mortgages since downpayments are generally lower and borrowers are more
likely to have weaker credit histories.
FHA’s Market Share
Traditionally, FHA plays a countercyclical role in the mortgage market, meaning that it tends to
insure more mortgages when mortgage credit markets are tight and fewer mortgages when
mortgage credit is more widely available. A major reason for this is that FHA continues to insure
mortgages that meet its standards even during market downturns or in regions experiencing
economic turmoil. When the economy is weak and lenders and private mortgage insurers might
tighten credit standards and reduce lending activity, FHA-insured mortgages may be the only
mortgages available to some borrowers, or may have more favorable terms than mortgages that
lenders are willing to make without FHA insurance. When the economy is strong and mortgage
credit is more widely available, many borrowers may find it easier to qualify for conventional
mortgages.
FHA’s market share can be measured in a number of different ways. It can be computed as the
number of FHA-insured mortgages originated divided by the total number of mortgages
originated, or as the dollar volume of FHA-insured mortgages originated divided by the total
dollar volume of mortgages originated. Furthermore, FHA’s market share is sometimes reported
as a share of all mortgages, and sometimes only as a share of home purchase mortgages (as
opposed to both purchase mortgages and refinance mortgages). Finally, a market share figure can
be reported as a share of all mortgages originated within a specific time period, such as a given
year, or as a share of all mortgages outstanding at a point in time, regardless of when they were
originated. When considering FHA’s market share, it is important to recognize which of these
figures is being reported.
Figure 1 shows FHA’s market share between 2001 and 2011, as a percentage of the number of all
newly originated mortgages, newly originated purchase mortgages only, and newly originated
refinance mortgages only in each year. FHA’s share of home purchase mortgages tends to be the
highest, largely because borrowers who refinance are more likely to have built up a greater
amount of equity in their homes and, therefore, might refinance out of FHA-insured mortgages
into conventional mortgages.
12 There is not a consensus definition of subprime mortgages, but they generally refer to mortgages made to borrowers
with credit scores below a certain threshold. Many subprime mortgages contained non-traditional features, but not all
subprime mortgages contained these features, and a mortgage does not have to have non-traditional features to be
considered subprime. For more information on how FHA-insured mortgages compare to subprime mortgages, see CRS
Report R40937, The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Risky Lending, by Darryl E. Getter.
13 With a negative amortization loan, borrowers have the option to pay less than the full amount of the interest due for a
set period of time. The loan “negatively amortizes” as the remaining interest is added to the outstanding loan balance,
so that the loan balance increases over the time rather than decreasing as it would with positive amortization.
Congressional Research Service
4
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Figure 1. FHA Share of the Mortgage Market, 2001-2011
% of total mortgages originated in each year
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Purchase Only
Purchase and Refi Combined
Refi Only
Source: Figure created by CRS based on data from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FHA-
Insured Single-Family Mortgage Market Share Report, 2012 – Quarter 2, p. 2, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/
documents/huddoc?id=fhamktq2_2012.pdf.
In the early 2000s, FHA-insured mortgages generally made up between 10% and 15% of the
home-purchase mortgage market, as measured by number of mortgages. However, by 2005,
FHA’s market share had fallen to less than 5% of home-purchase mortgages. Subsequently, as
economic conditions worsened and mortgage credit tightened, FHA’s market share rose sharply,
peaking at over 30% of home-purchase mortgages in 2009 and 2010, and over 20% of all
mortgages (including both home purchases and refinances) in 2010. In 2011, FHA’s market share
fell slightly, but was still over 26% for home-purchase mortgages and nearly 15% for all
mortgages.
The increase in FHA’s market share since 2007 is due to a variety of factors related to housing
market turmoil and broader economic instability. One factor is that economic conditions led many
banks to limit their lending activities, including lending for mortgages. Similarly, private
mortgage insurance companies, facing steep losses from past mortgages, began tightening the
underwriting criteria for mortgages that they would insure.14 Another factor is an increase in the
maximum mortgage amounts that FHA can insure, enacted by Congress in 2008, which may have
made FHA-insured mortgages a more viable option for some borrowers in areas where FHA had
been previously “priced out” of the market.15
14 For example, see Avery, Robert B., Neil Bhutta, Kenneth P. Brevoort, and Glenn B. Canner, The 2009 HMDA Data:
The Mortgage Market in a Time of Low Interest Rates and Economic Distress, http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/
bulletin/2010/articles/2009HMDA/default.htm. See also Radian’s 2010 annual report, at http://www.radian.biz/sfc/
servlet.shepherd/version/download/068C0000000SKI1IAO. Page 79 includes a discussion of Radian, a private
mortgage insurer, tightening its underwriting standards.
15 By statute, FHA can only insure mortgages up to a certain principal amount. For more information on the current and
recent maximum loan amounts that FHA can insure, see CRS Report RS20530, FHA-Insured Home Loans: An
Overview, by Katie Jones. The maximum mortgage amounts that FHA can insure in high-cost areas are scheduled to
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
5
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
FHA insured nearly 1.2 million single-family mortgages in FY2012, nearly 734,000 (about 62%)
of which were for home purchases. This was similar to the number of mortgages insured by FHA
in FY2011, but represents a decrease of about 30% from FHA’s insurance volumes in FY2010,
when FHA insured nearly 1.7 million single-family mortgages, over 1.1 million of which were
home purchase mortgages.16 Many FHA-insured mortgages are obtained by first-time
homebuyers, lower-and moderate-income homebuyers, and minority homebuyers. Of the over
700,000 home purchase mortgages insured by FHA in FY2012, about 78% were made to first-
time homebuyers.17 In 2011, FHA-insured mortgages accounted for half of home purchase
mortgages among both black and Hispanic borrowers.18
While not the focus of this report, policymakers have had an ongoing debate about the
appropriate market share for FHA. Some policymakers and industry participants are concerned
that FHA’s current market share is too high, and argue that steps should be taken to decrease its
market share immediately. They argue that the growth in FHA insurance in recent years has been
crowding out private mortgage insurance and delaying the return of a strong private mortgage
market.19 Other policymakers and industry participants argue that, while FHA’s market share
should not always remain at such elevated levels, FHA is currently playing a necessary role in
supporting the mortgage market. They argue that, rather than crowding out private mortgage
insurance, FHA is making it possible for many households to obtain mortgages at a time when
they otherwise would not be able to do so because private lenders and PMI companies have
tightened their lending standards.20 According to this argument, an immediate decrease in FHA’s
market share could make it difficult for many households to obtain mortgages, which could in
turn further destabilize housing markets by lowering demand and further depressing home prices.
Policymakers are likely to continue to debate the appropriate market role for FHA, both in the
short term as well as in the longer term. For example, FHA’s role in the market might be
considered as part of broader debate about the future of the U.S. housing finance system.
(...continued)
decrease from their current levels at the end of 2013.
16 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Report to Congress on the Financial Status of the
FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, Fiscal Year 2012, November 16, 2012, p. 12, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/
documents/huddoc?id=F12MMIFundRepCong111612.pdf.
17 Ibid., p. 7.
18 Ibid., p. 20.
19 For example, see U.S. Congress, House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and
Community Opportunity, Legislative Proposals to Determine the Future Role of FHA, RHS, and GNMA in the Single-
and Multi-Family Mortgage Markets, Part 1, 112th Congress, 1st. sess., May 25, 2011, H. Hrg. 112-32 (Washington:
GPO, 2012), http://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/112-32.pdf, and Legislative Proposals to Determine the
Future Role of FHA, RHS, and GNMA in the Single- and Multi-Family Mortgage Markets, Part 2, 112th Cong., 1st
sess., September 8, 2011, H. Hrg. 112-57 (Washington: GPO, 2012), http://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/
112-57.pdf.
20 Ibid.
Congressional Research Service
6
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Financial Status of the Mutual Mortgage
Insurance Fund
FHA-insured single-family mortgages are administered under an insurance fund known as the
Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMI Fund). Money flows into the MMI Fund primarily from
sources such as the mortgage insurance premiums paid by borrowers and sales of foreclosed
properties, and money flows out of the MMI Fund primarily from claims paid to lenders when
FHA-insured mortgages default. The MMI Fund is required to be self-supporting, meaning that it
is supposed to pay for costs related to insured loans (such as insurance claims) with money it
earns on those loans (such as through premiums), not through appropriations. It is also required to
hold funds beyond what it needs to pay for expected losses on insured loans in reserve to cover
any increases in expected losses. In recent years, increasing losses on FHA-insured loans have led
to concern about the MMI Fund’s financial status and whether it might exhaust these funds. If this
occurred, the MMI Fund could require funds from the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to
hold in reserve against expected losses or, eventually, to pay insurance claims.
This section of the report focuses on certain concepts that are often discussed in relation to the
MMI Fund’s financial health. First, it provides a brief discussion of some of the major factors that
affect the financial soundness of the MMI Fund, namely, default rates on FHA-insured loans,
current economic conditions, and projections of future economic conditions. Second, it describes
how the MMI Fund is treated in the federal budget process, which determines whether FHA will
ever need an appropriation to insure new loans in an upcoming fiscal year or whether FHA will
need funds from Treasury to pay for higher-than-expected losses on loans insured in past years.
(Historically, FHA has never needed either an appropriation to insure new loans or funds from
Treasury to pay claims.) Finally, it briefly describes measures of the MMI Fund’s actuarial
soundness that are reported in an annual independent actuarial review; this actuarial review is
discussed in more detail in the Appendix.
Broadly speaking, the budgetary treatment and the actuarial soundness of the MMI Fund are two
different ways of looking at the same thing—namely, how the loans insured under the MMI Fund
have performed and are expected to perform in the future, and the effect of this loan performance
on the financial position of the MMI Fund—and both are important for understanding the MMI
Fund’s financial status. One concept related to the actuarial review, the capital ratio, receives
much attention and is an important indicator of the financial soundness of the MMI Fund that
helps to illuminate the likelihood of FHA needing funds from Treasury. However, it is concepts
related to the budgetary treatment of FHA-insured loans, not the capital ratio, that actually
determine whether or not the MMI Fund will require any assistance from Treasury. This will be
described in more detail later in this section.
Default Rates on FHA-Insured Loans
When an FHA-insured mortgage defaults, FHA pays a claim to the lender for the remaining
amount that the borrower owes on the mortgage. The loss to FHA is the claim amount paid plus
any other foreclosure-related expenses, minus any amount that FHA can recoup by selling the
foreclosed home. FHA’s total losses related to defaults and foreclosures can depend on, among
other factors, the number of delinquencies, defaults, and foreclosures on FHA-insured loans; the
success of efforts to help borrowers avoid foreclosure on FHA-insured loans or to minimize the
Congressional Research Service
7
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
costs to FHA associated with a foreclosure on an FHA-insured loan; and how much FHA can
recoup by reselling foreclosed homes.
Like default and foreclosure rates on other types of mortgages, default and foreclosure rates on
FHA-insured mortgages have been elevated in recent years. This rise in default rates has led to an
increase in FHA’s actual losses, as well as an increase in the losses that it expects to incur in the
future related to loans that it currently insures. This has put pressure on the MMI Fund. As of
October 2012, FHA reported that over 734,000 out of 7.7 million insured single-family mortgages
(about 9.5%) were seriously delinquent, meaning that they were 90 days or more past due, in the
foreclosure process, or in bankruptcy.21
Figure 2 shows the rate of FHA-insured mortgages that were seriously delinquent in recent years
compared to prime mortgages, subprime mortgages, and all mortgages. FHA-insured loans have
performed better than subprime loans, but not as well as prime loans. Generally speaking, FHA-
insured loans are expected to have somewhat higher default rates than prime loans, since FHA-
insured loans generally go to borrowers who have smaller downpayments or weaker credit
histories than borrowers with prime conventional loans. While the serious delinquency rate on
FHA-insured loans has increased, it has not experienced the same sharp increase in delinquency
rates that subprime loans have experienced in recent years. The subprime delinquency rate was
nearly 23% in the second quarter of 2012.
21 Federal Housing Administration, Office of Risk Analysis and Regulatory Affairs, Monthly Report to the FHA
Commissioner on FHA Business Activity, October 2012, p. 12, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=
12oct.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
8
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Figure 2. Serious Delinquency Rates
Q1 2006-Q2 2012
Source: Figure created by CRS based on data from the Mortgage Bankers Association.
A number of factors are contributing to the increase in default rates on FHA-insured mortgages.
Unfavorable economic conditions, such as decreases in home prices and increases in
unemployment, have continued to affect many regions of the country, leading to more defaults
and foreclosures on FHA-insured loans. Other factors, such as the credit quality of some loans,
have also contributed to increased default rates. The loans that were originated between FY2005
and FY2008 appear to be performing especially poorly. (See Table 1 later in this report, which
shows that the loans insured in these years are now expected to lose between .05 cents and .09
cents per dollar of loans insured.) One reason for this is that these mortgages were originated at
the height of the housing bubble, and therefore were most affected by factors such as subsequent
home price declines.22 Loans insured over this time period were also of a lower credit quality, on
average, than loans insured more recently, partly because borrowers with stronger credit histories
could more easily find cheaper mortgages that were not insured by FHA. Another reason is that
the loans insured in these years have a higher concentration of mortgages that benefitted from a
practice known as seller-funded downpayment assistance, and these loans have had especially
high default rates. FHA is no longer permitted to insure loans with this type of downpayment
assistance. (For more information on seller-funded downpayment assistance and the performance
of these loans, see the “Prohibition on Seller-Funded Downpayment Assistance” subsection in the
“Selected Recent FHA Policy Changes” section of this report.)
22 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Report to Congress on the Financial Status of the
FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, Fiscal Year 2011, November 15, 2011, p. 42, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/
documents/huddoc?id=fhammifannrptfy2011.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
9
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Efforts to help borrowers avoid foreclosure, such as loan modifications, are known as loss
mitigation actions. When a borrower with an FHA-insured loan defaults, the servicer of the loan
is required to evaluate the loan’s eligibility for certain loss mitigation options.23 If successful,
these options can reduce the losses that FHA would otherwise bear on a troubled loan and help
minimize losses to the MMI Fund. Loss mitigation options that can result in a borrower keeping
his or her home include special forbearance agreements,24 loan modifications,25 partial claims,26
and FHA-HAMP.27 Other options that will result in the borrower losing his or her home, but
avoiding foreclosure, include short sales28 and deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure.29
FHA pays incentive payments and, in some cases, partial insurance claim payments to lenders in
connection with loss mitigation actions. These costs are likely to be less to FHA than the cost of
paying a claim after a foreclosure. However, if the borrower defaults on the mortgage again in the
future, and the loan then goes to foreclosure, FHA could end up paying the full claim amount.
Therefore, the extent to which loss mitigation actions minimize losses to FHA will depend on
whether borrowers who receive any type of loan workout remain current on their mortgages or
default again in the future.
If a mortgage must ultimately go to foreclosure, FHA may be able to recoup some of the claim
amount that it pays to the lender by selling the property. Nevertheless, a foreclosure will generally
result in a loss for FHA. As of the third quarter of FY2012, FHA reported that, on average, it
loses about 63% of the loan balance when it pays insurance claims.30
23 See Federal Housing Administration, FHA Mortgagee Letter 00-05, “Loss Mitigation Program – Comprehensive
Clarification of Policy and Notice of Procedural Changes,” available at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/
program_offices/administration/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/2000ml, as well as subsequent Mortgagee Letters.
24 Forbearance agreements allow a borrower to make lower mortgage payments for a specified period of time, and to
repay the difference between the lower mortgage payment and the actual amount owed at a later date. For more
information on FHA’s forbearance options, see http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=nscsffaq.pdf.
25 Loan modifications change one or more of the features of the mortgage, such as the interest rate or the term of the
mortgage, to lower a borrower’s monthly mortgage payments. For more information on FHA’s loan modification
options, see http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=nsclmfaq.pdf.
26 Partial claims allow a borrower to become current again on a delinquent mortgage through an advance of funds from
the lender on the borrower’s behalf to reinstate the mortgage. FHA pays the lender for this advance of funds—called a
partial claim, because the amount paid by FHA is only part of what the full claim amount would be if the loan went
through foreclosure—and the borrower repays FHA in the future. For more information on FHA’s partial claim option,
see http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=nscpcfaq.pdf.
27 FHA-HAMP essentially combines a loan modification and a partial claim amount to modify a borrower’s loan to
achieve an affordable payment. The option was created to parallel the broader Home Affordable Modification Program
(HAMP), but it differs in some important ways from HAMP. For more information on FHA-HAMP, see
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=nschampfact.pdf. For more information on regular HAMP, see
CRS Report R40210, Preserving Homeownership: Foreclosure Prevention Initiatives, by Katie Jones.
28 Short sales allow a borrower to sell the home for less than the full amount owed on the mortgage, and the lender
accepts the proceeds of the sale as payment in full. For more information on FHA’s short sale options, see
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=nscpfsfaq.pdf.
29 A deed-in-lieu of foreclosure allows the borrower to surrender the deed to the property as payment in full on the
mortgage. For more information on FHA’s deed-in-lieu of foreclosure options, see http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/
documents/huddoc?id=nscdilfaq.pdf.
30 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Quarterly Report to Congress on the Status of the MMI Fund,
Q3 2012, p. 8, available at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/housing/rmra/oe/rpts/rtc/
fhartcqtrly.
Congressional Research Service
10
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
The Role of Economic Conditions, Projections, and Assumptions
Economic and housing market conditions impact FHA’s financial position in a few different
ways. First of all, economic conditions can contribute to default and foreclosure rates. If more
people are unemployed or underemployed, or if home prices fall such that people cannot sell their
homes if they can no longer afford their mortgages, then more people may face default or
foreclosure. Falling house prices also limit the amount that FHA can recoup when it sells a
foreclosed property.
Projections of future economic conditions are also important factors in evaluating the health of
the MMI Fund. The future path of house prices and interest rates, in particular, play large roles in
estimating how FHA-insured mortgages will perform in the future and, ultimately, how much
money is expected to flow into and out of the MMI Fund. The future path of house prices is
important because, as noted, house prices play a role in default and foreclosure rates and in how
much FHA can recoup on foreclosures. Interest rates are important because they can affect home
purchase activity as well as the decision by homeowners to refinance their mortgages, which
affects how much premium revenue FHA expects to bring in and its potential liability for future
claims.
Estimates of the MMI Fund’s current financial health rely on assumptions about how loans that
are currently insured by FHA will perform in the future. Estimates of the MMI Fund’s future
financial health also rely on assumptions about how these loans that FHA currently insures will
perform in the future, but, in addition, they rely upon assumptions about how many new loans
FHA is likely to insure in future years and how those future loans will perform. If assumptions
about future economic conditions or FHA’s future business are not accurate—for example, if FHA
insures more or fewer loans than anticipated in the future, or if current and future loans perform
better or worse than expected—then estimates of FHA’s current or future financial positions may
also not be accurate.
The MMI Fund in the Federal Budget
This section describes how FHA-insured mortgages are accounted for in the federal budget in the
year that the loans are insured and in the years thereafter. It includes a discussion of the
circumstances under which the MMI Fund would need an appropriation to insure new loans in an
upcoming fiscal year, and the circumstances under which the MMI Fund can draw on permanent
and indefinite budget authority with Treasury to reserve for higher-than-expected losses on loans
insured in past years.
Credit Reform Accounting and Credit Subsidy Rates
The Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (FCRA) specifies the way in which the costs of federal
loan guarantees, including FHA-insured loans, are recorded in the federal budget.31 The FCRA
requires that, like all federal loan guarantees, the amount of money that FHA-insured loans are
projected to cost the government or earn for the government over the life of those loans be
31 For more information on how the costs of federal credit programs are treated in the federal budget, see CRS Report
R42632, Budgetary Treatment of Federal Credit (Direct Loans and Loan Guarantees): Concepts, History, and Issues
for the 112th Congress, by James M. Bickley.
Congressional Research Service
11
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
recorded in the federal budget in the year that the loans are insured.32 In accordance with the
FCRA, the amount that FHA expects to eventually earn or lose for every dollar of mortgages that
it will insure in the upcoming fiscal year is estimated and reflected in the federal budget as a
credit subsidy rate.33
Since credit reform accounting was implemented, the single-family mortgages that FHA has
expected to insure in a given year have always been estimated to have a negative credit subsidy
rate in that year’s budget.34 A negative credit subsidy rate indicates that, in present value terms,
more money is expected to come into the insurance fund than is expected to flow out of the
insurance fund in relation to loans insured in a given year. In other words, a negative subsidy rate
means that, over the life of the loans, the insured loans are projected to make money for the
government rather than require an appropriation from the government in order to operate. (This
applies only to the costs associated with the insured loans themselves; credit subsidy rates do not
include the administrative costs of a program. FHA does receive an appropriation for
administrative contract expenses and for salaries.)35 When a loan guarantee program has a
negative credit subsidy rate, it results in offsetting receipts. In the case of the MMI Fund, these
offsetting receipts can offset other costs of the HUD budget.36
Each year, FHA and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimate the credit subsidy
rate for the loans expected to be insured in the upcoming fiscal year in the President’s budget
request.37 These estimates are based on factors such as projections of how much mortgage
insurance premium revenue the loans insured in the upcoming year are expected to bring in,
projections of how much FHA will have to pay in future insurance claims related to those loans,
and projections of how much money FHA will be able to recover by selling foreclosed properties.
These projections, in turn, rest on assumptions about the credit quality of the loans being made
and assumptions about future economic conditions (including house prices and interest rates).
32 For more detailed information on how loan guarantees are recorded in the federal budget under the Federal Credit
Reform Act, see CRS Report R42632, Budgetary Treatment of Federal Credit (Direct Loans and Loan Guarantees):
Concepts, History, and Issues for the 112th Congress, by James M. Bickley.
33 In technical terms, a credit subsidy rate is calculated as the net present value of expected future cash flows from
mortgages insured in a given year, divided by the dollar volume of loans expected to be insured in that year. The “net
present value of expected future cash flows” is the present value of expected cash flows out of the insurance fund (such
as claims expected to be paid in the future on defaulted mortgages) net of expected cash flows into the insurance fund
(such as premiums expected to be paid by borrowers).
34 While FHA’s traditional single-family mortgage program has always been estimated to have a negative credit
subsidy rate in the year that the loans are insured, other FHA programs have at times been estimated to have positive
credit subsidy rates.
35 In FY2012, FHA received an appropriation of $207 million for administrative contract expenses for all of its
programs, including multifamily and healthcare facilities programs. The President’s FY2013 budget requests $215
million for administrative contract expenses. Funding for salaries is appropriated as part of HUD’s overall
appropriation for salaries and expenses. Annual appropriations laws also include a maximum dollar volume of loans
that FHA can insure in a given fiscal year. In FY2012, the maximum dollar volume of loans that FHA could insure
under the MMI Fund was $400 billion.
36 For more information on recent trends in FHA offsetting receipts and their role in the budget process, see CRS
Report R42542, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): Funding Trends Since FY2002, by Maggie
McCarty.
37 FHA, in conjunction with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), estimates the expected gain or cost of
insuring mortgages in the next fiscal year in the President’s annual budget requests. The Congressional Budget Office
(CBO) re-estimates these expected gains or costs using its own models and assumptions. The CBO re-estimated
numbers are the ones that matter for the purposes of federal budgeting and appropriations.
Congressional Research Service
12
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Since the Federal Credit Reform Act went into effect, the original credit subsidy rate estimates for
FHA-insured loans have ranged from a low of -0.05% in FY2009, meaning that FHA originally
expected to earn .0005 cents for every dollar of loans it insured in that year, to a high of -3.10% in
FY2011, meaning that FHA originally expected to make .0310 cents for every dollar of loans
insured in that year.38 (The total amount of money that FHA would expect to make on loans
insured in a given year would also depend on the total dollar amount of loans it expected to insure
in that year.) In all cases, the
loans expected to be insured by
FHA and “Fair Value” Accounting
FHA in a given year have been
FHA’s credit subsidy rates are calculated in accordance with the
projected to make money.
methodology specified in the FCRA. This methodology takes into account
expected costs (primarily claims) and gains (primarily premium revenue)
associated with loans insured in a given year, and arrives at a net present
If FHA’s single-family program
value of the future cash flows on these loans by using interest rates on
was ever estimated to have a
Treasury bonds as a discount rate. The interest rate on Treasury bonds
positive credit subsidy rate for
does not account for market risk, because Treasury bonds are assumed to
the upcoming fiscal year, it
be virtually risk-free. However, some have suggested that credit subsidy
rate estimates would more accurately reflect actual loan performance if the
would require an appropriation
discount rate included adjustments for market risk. Accounting for market
from Congress to cover the
risk in calculating credit subsidy is referred to as the “fair value” approach.
difference between the amount
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released a report that
of money FHA expected to take
discusses the difference between FCRA accounting and a fair value
in and pay out over the life of
approach specifically as it relates to FHA. (See Congressional Budget
the loans.39 If Congress did not
Office, Accounting for FHA’s Single-Family Mortgage Insurance Program on a
appropriate funding to cover a
Fair-Value Basis, May 18, 2011, http://www.cbo.gov/publication/41445.) The
CBO report finds that using a fair value approach would have changed the
positive subsidy rate, then FHA
estimate of FY2012 credit subsidy for the MMI Fund programs from a
would not be able to insure new
negative number to a positive number. This means that, had the fair value
loans in that year. (For a brief
approach been used, the loans that FHA expected to insure in that year
discussion of a proposed
would have been projected to lose money rather than earn money over
change in the required method
the life of the loans, and FHA would have required an appropriation from
Congress in order to insure loans in that year.
of calculating credit subsidy
rates that could result in the
The debate over how to calculate subsidy rates for FHA’s loan program is
part of a larger debate over whether subsidy costs of government loan
MMI Fund having a positive
guarantees in general should reflect an adjustment for market risk. In the
credit subsidy rate, see the
112th Congress, a bill requiring fair value accounting for federal credit
nearby text box, “FHA and
programs passed the House (H.R. 3581). For more information on the
“Fair Value” Accounting.”)
issues involved, see CRS Report R42503, Subsidy Cost of Federal Credit: Cost
to the Government or Fair Value Cost?, by James M. Bickley.
In its FY2013 Budget
Justifications, FHA estimated that the credit subsidy rate for the MMI Fund, excluding reverse
mortgages, would be -5.38%. This means that for every dollar of single-family loans that it
insures in FY2013, FHA expects to earn $0.0538 for the government. Since FHA is projecting
that it will insure $149 billion in single-family mortgages in FY2013, FHA expects the mortgages
38 Some examples of reasons for the differences in the original credit subsidy rates across years could include
differences in the mortgage insurance premiums that were being charged in that year, differences in the anticipated
credit quality of loans being insured, or differences in the expected future trajectory of economic factors (such as
interest rates or house prices) that can impact prepayments, defaults, and the amount that FHA can recover after a
foreclosure.
39 The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) does its own estimate of the subsidy rate, using its own assumptions and
models. CBO’s estimate of the subsidy rate is the one that matters for the purposes of the appropriations process,
including determining whether the FHA single-family mortgage insurance program will require an appropriation and
for determining the amount of any receipts available to offset the cost of the HUD budget.
Congressional Research Service
13
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
it insures in FY2013 to generate about $8 billion in negative credit subsidy.40 When FHA-insured
reverse mortgages are included, FHA expects the loans insured under the MMI Fund to generate a
total of about $8.2 billion in negative credit subsidy.41
Credit Subsidy Rate Re-estimates
The amount of money that loans insured by FHA in a given year actually earn for or cost the
government over the course of their life is likely to be different from the original credit subsidy
estimates due to better or worse than expected performance of those loans. Federal credit reform
accounting recognizes this, and provides permanent and indefinite budget authority to federal
credit programs to cover any increased costs of loan guarantees.
Each year, in consultation with OMB, FHA re-estimates each prior year’s credit subsidy rates
based on the actual performance of the loans and other factors, such as updated economic
projections. Although the original credit subsidy rate for the single-family mortgage insurance
program each year has historically been negative, in recent years, the credit subsidy rate re-
estimates for several cohorts of loans have been estimated to be positive, suggesting that FHA
will actually lose money on the loans insured in those years. Even if this is the case, FHA will not
necessarily need to draw on its permanent and indefinite budget authority with Treasury to cover
these losses if the amount it makes on loans insured in other years is enough to cover the
difference. However, if the amount that FHA earns on loans insured in other years is not enough
to cover these losses, it could need to draw on its permanent and indefinite budget authority with
Treasury.
Table 1 shows the original credit subsidy rate estimates and the most current re-estimated credit
subsidy rates for the loans insured in each fiscal year between 1992 and 2011. The first column
shows the original credit subsidy rate. In all cases, the original subsidy rate estimates were
negative (shown in green), meaning that the loans insured in those years were originally expected
to make money for the government. The second column shows the current re-estimated credit
subsidy rate for each year. Re-estimated credit subsidy rates are shown in green if they remained
negative (even if they are less favorable than the original estimate) and in red if they have become
positive.
For most years, the current re-estimated credit subsidy rate is less favorable than the original
estimate, although many of the re-estimated credit subsidy rates are still negative. A lower, but
still negative, credit subsidy estimate suggests that a particular cohort of loans will still make
money for the government, but less than was originally estimated. In some years, particularly
between FY2002 and FY2009, the re-estimates of the subsidy rates are positive (shown in red),
meaning that these cohorts of loans are currently expected to lose money overall. In a few cases,
namely, FY1992, FY2010, and FY2011, the current re-estimated subsidy rate is more favorable
40 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2012 Congressional Budget Justifications, p. B-9,
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=CombinedFHAFund.pdf.
41 According to Senate Appropriations Committee documents, CBO estimates that FHA’s MMI Fund, including
reverse mortgages, will generate nearly $9.7 billion in negative credit subsidy in FY2013, a higher amount than HUD’s
estimate. See U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Transportation and Housing and Urban
Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2013, report to accompany S. 2322, 112th Cong., 2nd sess.,
April 19, 2012, S.Rept. 112-157 (Washington: GPO, 2012), p. 166, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-112srpt157/
pdf/CRPT-112srpt157.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
14
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
than the original estimated subsidy rate, meaning that the loans insured in those years are now
expected to make more money than originally estimated.
Table 1. MMI Fund Credit Subsidy Rates and Re-estimates
FY1992-FY2011
Re-estimated Subsidy
Fiscal Year
Original Subsidy Rate
Rate
1992
-2.60 -3.22
1993
-2.70 -2.67
1994
-2.79 -1.81
1995
-1.95 -0.76
1996
-2.77 -1.08
1997
-2.88 -1.05
1998
-2.99 -1.49
1999
-2.62 -1.33
2000
-1.99
0.16
2001
-2.15 -0.08
2002
-2.07
0.31
2003
-2.53
1.29
2004
-2.47
1.80
2005
-1.80
5.21
2006
-1.70
6.42
2007
-0.37
9.28
2008
-0.25
6.36
2009
-0.05
1.07
2010
-0.86 -1.28
2011
-3.10 -4.53
Source: Table created by CRS based on Office of Management and Budget, The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year
2013, Federal Credit Supplement Spreadsheets, Loan Guarantees: Subsidy Reestimates, http://www.whitehouse.gov/
omb/budget/Supplemental/.
Notes: Negative credit subsidy re-estimates are in green; positive credit subsidy re-estimates are in red.
The MMI Fund Account Balances
The credit subsidy rate re-estimates affect the way in which funds are held in the MMI Fund. The
MMI Fund consists of two primary accounts: the Financing Account and the Capital Reserve
Account. The Financing Account holds funds to cover expected losses on FHA-insured loans. The
Capital Reserve Account holds additional funds to cover unexpected losses. Funds are transferred
between the two accounts each year on the basis of the re-estimated credit subsidy rates to ensure
that enough is held in the Financing Account to cover updated projections of expected losses on
insured loans. If the credit subsidy rate re-estimates reflect an aggregate increase in expected
Congressional Research Service
15
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
losses, then funds are transferred from the Capital Reserve Account to the Financing Account to
cover the amount of the increase in expected losses. Conversely, if the credit subsidy rate re-
estimates reflect a decrease in aggregate expected losses, then funds are transferred from the
Financing Account to the Capital Reserve Account.
In recent years, the credit subsidy rate re-estimates have shown aggregate increases in expected
losses on FHA-insured loans, requiring large transfers of funds from the Capital Reserve Account
to the Financing Account to cover these additional expected future losses. Table 2 illustrates the
changes in these account balances between FY2008 and FY2012. At the end of FY2008, the MMI
Fund held $19.3 billion in the Capital Reserve Account and $9 billion in the Financing Account.
By the end of FY2012, FHA held $3.3 billion in the Capital Reserve Account and $27.1 billion in
the Financing Account.42
Table 2. MMI Fund Account Balances, FY2008-FY2012
$ in billions
Financing Account
Capital Reserve Account
Total
FY2008
$9.0 $19.3 $28.2
FY2009
$21.1 $10.7 $31.8
FY2010
$28.9 $4.4 $33.3
FY2011
$29.0 $4.7 $33.7
FY2012
$27.1 $3.3 $30.4
Source: FHA’s FY2012 Annual Report to Congress on the Financial Status of the MMI Fund, page 31
Notes: Figures are as of the fourth quarter of each fiscal year.
While the amounts held in the Capital Reserve Account have been falling in recent years, the total
amount that FHA has on hand (the combined amounts in the Financing Account and the Capital
Reserve Account) has increased slightly since FY2008, to $30.4 billion in FY2012 from $28.2
billion in FY2008. However, since expected losses have also been increasing, more funds are
currently held in the Financing Account to cover the increase in expected losses and less funds are
held in the Capital Reserve Account. Although the total amount of resources on hand has been
fairly steady in recent years, the cash flows from insurance operations (e.g., premiums paid in and
claims paid out) have been negative, meaning that FHA has been paying out more money than it
has been collecting. Insurance operations saw $2.8 billion of net cash outflow in FY2012, when
FHA paid $18 billion in insurance claims.43
42 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Report to Congress on the Financial Status of the
FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, FY2012, November 16, 2012, p. 31. Information on the amounts held in the
Financing Account and the Capital Reserve Account can also be found in FHA’s Quarterly Reports to Congress on
FHA Single-Family Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund Programs, available at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?
src=/program_offices/housing/rmra/oe/rpts/rtc/fhartcqtrly. These quarterly reports were required by Congress in the
Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-289).
43 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FHA Annual Report to Congress on the Financial Status of
the MMI Fund, FY2012, p. 32, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=
F12MMIFundRepCong111612.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
16
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Although total resources have increased slightly since FY2008 (while the amount of reserves held
in the Capital Reserve Account was decreasing), the total dollar volume of mortgages insured by
FHA has also increased, from about $400 billion at the end of FY2008 to over $1.1 trillion at the
end of FY2012.44 Therefore, while capital resources held in the MMI Fund have increased by
about $2 billion since FY2008, the amount of outstanding insurance-in-force has increased by
more than $600 billion, meaning that FHA is holding about the same amount of total resources in
the MMI Fund against a much higher dollar volume of insured mortgages.
Permanent and Indefinite Budget Authority
As noted, in light of the fact that estimating the cost of a loan guarantee program is inexact, the
Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 includes permanent and indefinite budget authority for federal
loan guarantee programs to cover the cost of credit subsidy rate re-estimates. Therefore, if FHA
ever had to transfer more money than it has in the Capital Reserve Account to the Financing
Account to cover an increase in expected losses on insured loans, it could draw on its permanent
and indefinite budget authority to make this transfer without additional congressional action.45 To
date, FHA has never had to use this authority. However, there has been increased concern that
FHA might need to use this authority in the wake of the most recent actuarial report on the MMI
Fund, discussed in detail in the Appendix, which estimated that the MMI Fund does not currently
have enough funds on hand to pay for all of its expected future losses on the loans that it currently
insures.
If FHA did draw on Treasury to make a required transfer of funds to the Financing Account, these
funds would not be spent immediately. Rather, they would be held in the Financing Account, and
used to pay claims to lenders only if the rest of the funds in the Financing Account were
exhausted. If economic conditions and loan performance improved, or if loans insured in the
future brought in enough money to both cover their own costs and pay for past loans that
defaulted, it would be possible that any money received from Treasury would never actually be
spent and could be returned to Treasury. On the other hand, if future insured loans did not bring in
enough funds to cover losses on past loans, or if economic conditions and loan performance
deteriorated further, any funds received from Treasury could eventually be spent to pay actual
claims.
When the FY2013 President’s Budget request was released in February 2012, it indicated that
FHA might need to draw on its permanent and indefinite budget authority with Treasury to make
such a transfer of funds during FY2012. The budget request indicated that more funds than were
currently available in the Capital Reserve Account were likely to be needed to be transferred to
the Financing Account in FY2012 to cover another increase in expected future losses. To cover
this transfer, the budget included $688 million in mandatory appropriations, representing a draw
on the permanent and indefinite budget authority provided to FHA.46
44 These numbers represent total amortized insurance-in-force for the MMI Fund. Figures come from FHA’s Annual
Report to Congress on the Financial Status of the MMI Fund, FY2009, p. 17, and the Annual Report to Congress on
the Financial Status of the MMI Fund, FY2012, p. 35.
45 The credit subsidy rate re-estimates are included as part of the President’s budget that is usually released in February
of each year. Any required transfer of funds between the Financing Account and the Capital Reserve Account usually
occurs in May or June, but can happen as late as September.
46 The Appendix, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2013, p. 636, http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/
default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/hud.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
17
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
However, after the budget request was released, FHA stated that it no longer expected to need that
money from Treasury in FY2012 largely because of money it would receive from recent
settlements with large mortgage companies related to claims that the companies did not adhere to
FHA requirements in originating and servicing loans.47 FHA had also made various policy
changes (such as mortgage insurance premium increases for new borrowers) that, along with the
settlement actions, were expected to bring in enough funds to cover any required transfer of funds
from the Capital Reserve Account to the Financing Account in FY2012. However, if expected
losses on currently insured loans continue to increase in future years, and if enough new funds do
not come into the MMI Fund in the form of premiums or other revenue to cover any such
increases in expected losses, then FHA could have to draw on Treasury in a future year.
Annual Actuarial Review and 2% Capital Ratio Requirement
Each year, FHA contracts with an independent actuary to conduct an actuarial review of the MMI
Fund as mandated by Congress. This review analyzes FHA’s financial position by estimating the
amount of funds that it currently has on hand and the net amount (in present value terms) that
FHA expects to earn or lose in the future on loans that it currently insures. It then adds these
numbers together to compute the “economic value” of the MMI Fund, which is basically the
amount of funds that the MMI Fund would be projected to have on hand after paying for all of its
future expected losses, assuming that it did not insure any more loans going forward. This
actuarial review is separate from the budget process, and uses somewhat different economic
assumptions than those
used in the federal budget.
Where to Find FHA Reports on the MMI Fund
The FHA reports discussed in this section, including the annual actuarial report
Congress also mandates
and the annual report to Congress on the financial status of the MMI Fund, can
be accessed from HUD’s Office of Housing Reading Room webpage at
that FHA meet a 2%
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/housing/hsgrroom.
capital reserve
requirement, which means
that the economic value of the MMI Fund—the amount of funds that the MMI Fund would have
remaining after paying all expected future losses—must be at least 2% of the total dollar volume
of mortgages that FHA currently insures. The capital ratio is calculated on the basis of the
actuarial report. The capital ratio fell below this 2% requirement in FY2009, and has continued to
fall since then.
The FY2012 annual actuarial review was released in November 2012, and it showed that the
economic value of the MMI Fund is currently estimated to be negative.48 A negative economic
value means that the MMI Fund does not currently have enough funds on hand to pay for all of its
expected future losses over the life of the loans that it currently insures. It does not mean that
FHA does not have funds to pay claims today, but it raises concerns that FHA might run out of
funds to pay claims in the future. The projected losses on the loans currently insured by FHA will
be realized over the life of those loans, rather than all at once, potentially giving FHA time to
47 Written Testimony of Shaun Donovan, Secretary of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Hearing
before the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, U.S. House of
Representatives Committee on Appropriations on “FY2013 Budget Request for the Department of Housing and Urban
Development,” March 21, 2012, p. 7, http://appropriations.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hhrg-112-ap20-wstate-sdonovan-
20120321.pdf.
48 The annual actuarial reviews can be found on HUD’s website at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?mode=
dispcontent&id=HSG_ACTRMENU_10941&type=HUDGOV_HTML&rsm=Latest&width=664.
Congressional Research Service
18
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
increase the funds that it has on hand before these projected losses are realized. Whether or not
the MMI Fund will ever actually run out of money to pay claims depends on factors such as
whether the projections of the performance of FHA-insured loans are accurate and whether the
MMI Fund is able to build enough additional capital resources over time, such as through
additional premium revenue from newly insured mortgages, to pay for these expected claims.
Because the economic value of the MMI Fund is estimated to be negative, the capital ratio is also
estimated to be negative. This represents the first time that the MMI Fund has been estimated to
have a negative capital ratio since it first met the mandated 2% capital ratio requirement in the
mid-1990s.
Although the results of the actuarial review raise serious concerns about the financial soundness
of the MMI Fund going forward, the results of the actuarial review do not determine whether or
not FHA will need to draw on its permanent and indefinite budget authority with Treasury for
funds to hold against expected future losses or to pay claims. That is determined as part of the re-
estimate process that is done as part of the federal budgeting process each year, which was
described in the previous section. The actuarial review, the capital ratio, and the results of the
FY2012 actuarial report are all described in more detail in the Appendix.
The FY2012 actuarial review estimates that, based on current assumptions, the MMI Fund could
regain a positive economic value in FY2014, and could regain a capital ratio of 2% by FY2017.
Unlike the estimate of the FY2012 economic value of the MMI Fund, which assumes that FHA
will not insure any new loans, the estimates of the future economic value of the MMI Fund do
take into account the expected economic value of loans that FHA will insure in the future.
However, some have raised concerns that, for a variety of reasons, the estimates of the MMI
Fund’s future economic value could be too optimistic.
For example, some have expressed concern that FHA is trying to grow itself out of its financial
problems by insuring a higher dollar volume of loans and relying on the premium revenue that
those loans will bring in to restore the MMI Fund’s economic value and capital ratio. This could
be a problem if these loans do not perform well, or if FHA is relying on maintaining a relatively
high market share even though its future market role is uncertain. Some also note that, given that
most past cohorts of loans insured by FHA have performed less well than initially anticipated, it
would be reasonable to expect loans insured in the future to also perform less well than currently
anticipated.49 They suggest policy changes including increasing downpayment or credit score
requirements for FHA-insured borrowers and changing the way that FHA estimates the value of
the loans that it insures.50 Others have suggested that the actuarial estimates might rely on overly
optimistic assumptions about house price trajectories and other factors, leading to an overestimate
of the economic value of the MMI Fund.51
49 For example, see Gyourko, Joseph, “Is FHA the Next Housing Bailout?,” American Enterprise Institute Working
Paper #2011-06, November 2011, http://real.wharton.upenn.edu/~gyourko/Working%20Papers/FHA-
AEI_11%2015_for%20posting-final_jgedits.pdf.
50 For example, see U.S. Congress, House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and
Community Opportunity, Legislative Proposals to Determine the Future Role of FHA, RHS, and GNMA in the Single-
and Multi-Family Mortgage Markets, Part 1, 112th Congress, 1st. sess., May 25, 2011, H. Hrg. 112-32 (Washington:
GPO, 2012), http://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/112-32.pdf. In particular, see the testimony of Mark
Calabria, Director of Financial Regulation Studies at the Cato Institute.
51 For example, see Wallison, Peter J. and Edward J. Pinto, American Enterprise Institute, “Bet the house: why the
FHA is going (for) broke,” January 19, 2012, http://www.aei.org/outlook/economics/financial-services/housing-
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
19
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
In response to these criticisms, FHA argues that the recent increase in its share of the mortgage
market has been driven by market forces, namely, by lenders and private mortgage insurers
tightening their credit standards, leaving FHA as the only option for some borrowers. FHA also
maintains that recent increases in mortgage insurance premiums and in the credit quality of the
loans that it insures will mean that the loans that it insured in more recent years will perform
better than loans insured in past years. Finally, FHA responds to criticism that its house price and
other forecasts are too optimistic by noting that the independent actuary uses standard forecasts
developed by independent private firms.52
FHA acknowledges that the actuarial position of the MMI Fund is cause for concern. To address
this concern, it has made a number of policy changes in recent years aimed at addressing the
health of the MMI Fund, many of which are discussed in the next section, and has indicated that it
is considering a variety of additional policy changes. Nevertheless, many policymakers and others
argue that FHA has not gone far enough with the changes it has undertaken to date and have
called for additional action.
Selected Recent FHA Policy Changes
In the current environment, FHA faces an increased tension between fulfilling its traditional role
of facilitating the provision of mortgage credit to underserved borrowers and supporting the
currently fragile housing market, on the one hand, and safeguarding the health of the MMI Fund
on the other. With this tension in mind, FHA has made several changes to its single-family
insurance programs since FY2010. These changes generally attempt to increase FHA’s cash
reserves, to decrease the riskiness of the mortgages it insures, or both. FHA had the authority to
make some of these changes administratively, through policy guidance or rulemaking procedures,
while others required congressional action.
In general, most of the changes that FHA has made or could make—including increasing
premiums and strengthening underwriting criteria—impact the risk profile of future loans that
FHA will insure rather than loans that FHA has already insured. FHA has fewer options at its
disposal for making changes that will reduce its risk related to loans that it already insures.
However, it has taken some steps, such as more aggressively holding lenders accountable for
loans they originated that did not meet FHA’s criteria, that address past loans as well as future
loans.
This section describes major underwriting and risk management changes that FHA has announced
or implemented in recent years, including new policy changes that FHA announced when the
FY2012 actuarial review was released. It also discusses changes that have been required by
Congress, and additional legislative proposals for further changes aimed at protecting the
financial stability of the FHA single-family loan program.
(...continued)
finance/bet-the-house-why-the-fha-is-going-for-broke/.
52 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Myths and Facts Regarding the FHA Single Family Loan
Guarantee Portfolio,” http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=MythsandFactsLoanPortfolio.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
20
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Mortgage Origination and Underwriting Changes
Some of the changes that FHA has initiated over the past few years involve increasing the
premiums that borrowers pay for FHA-insured mortgages and strengthening FHA’s underwriting
guidelines for its single-family program. The premium increases are intended to ensure that FHA
is charging enough for its insurance to cover its potential costs, as well as to build up additional
funds that can be used to pay for higher-than-expected losses on loans that FHA insures. The
underwriting changes are aimed at making FHA-insured mortgages less likely to default, and
therefore likely to result in fewer claims that FHA has to pay. However, as a result of these
underwriting changes and the premium increases, some prospective homebuyers may find that
they are no longer eligible for FHA insurance, or that FHA-insured mortgages are no longer an
affordable option.
Mortgage Insurance Premium Increases
Borrowers of FHA-insured mortgages pay both upfront and annual mortgage insurance
premiums. The upfront premium is paid when the loan is originated, and the annual premiums are
paid each year thereafter. These premiums comprise a large portion of the cash flow into the MMI
Fund. The maximum levels of both the upfront and annual mortgage insurance premiums are set
in statute, but FHA can administratively set the actual premiums it charges, as long as it does not
exceed the statutory maximum.53
Since April 2010, FHA has made a series of changes to the premiums it charges. Most of these
changes have affected the annual premium, rather than the upfront premium. For the most part,
these changes have been made administratively by FHA, although Congress required an increase
in the annual mortgage insurance premium of 10 basis points (one-tenth of one percent) in the
Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-78). Congress has also passed
legislation raising the maximum statutory annual premium that FHA is allowed to charge.54
Table 3 shows the current mortgage insurance premiums charged by FHA since June 11, 2012, as
well as the maximum premium that FHA is currently allowed to charge by statute. The upfront
premium for FHA-insured loans is 1.75% of the loan amount (the same amount that FHA was
charging at the beginning of 2010). For most mortgages, the annual premiums are 1.20% for
mortgages with loan-to-value ratios of 95% or below, and 1.25% for mortgages with loan-to-
value ratios above 95%. (These are increased from annual premiums of 0.50% and 0.55%,
respectively, at the beginning of 2010.) However, FHA has also begun charging higher annual
mortgage insurance premiums for mortgages with initial principal balances above $625,500, the
conforming loan limit for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages in high-cost areas.55 For
mortgages with principal balances above $625,500, the annual mortgage insurance premium will
53 The maximum mortgage insurance premium amounts that FHA can charge are codified at 12 U.S.C. § 1709(c)(2).
54 When FHA began raising its premiums in 2010, it was charging the maximum annual mortgage insurance premium
allowed by statute. Therefore, FHA raised the upfront premium, and asked Congress for authority to increase the
annual mortgage insurance premium. Congress passed legislation increasing the maximum annual mortgage insurance
premium that FHA can charge in August 2010 (P.L. 111-229), and FHA subsequently raised the annual premiums
while lowering the upfront premium to a lower level than it had been charging at the beginning of 2010. Since that
time, FHA has since increased the upfront premium back to what it was charging at the beginning of 2010.
55 The maximum loan amount that FHA will insure in high-cost areas is currently $729,750.
Congressional Research Service
21
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
be 1.45% for mortgages with loan-to-value ratios of 95% or below, and 1.50% for mortgages with
loan-to-value ratios above 95%.
Table 3. FHA Single-Family Forward Mortgage Insurance Premiums (MIPs)
As of June 11, 2012
Statutory
Statutory
Loan-to-Value
Maximum Upfront
Current Upfront
Maximum Annual
Current Annual
Ratio
MIP
MIP
MIP
MIP
Loans with Principal Balances at or below $625,500
Less than or equal
3% 1.75% 1.5% 1.20%
to 95%
Above 95%
3% 1.75%
1.55% 1.25%
Loans with Principal Balances above $625,500
Less than or equal
3% 1.75% 1.5% 1.45%
to 95%
Above 95%
3% 1.75%
1.55% 1.50%
Source: Table created by CRS based on FHA Mortgagee Letter 12-4.
Notes: Different premiums apply to certain types of mortgages, such as streamline refinances or mortgages with
shorter loan terms.
After the FY2012 annual actuarial report was released, FHA announced that it planned to increase
annual mortgage insurance premiums by an additional 10 basis points, or one-tenth of a
percentage point. (See the “Additional Changes Announced with the FY2012 Actuarial Review”
section of this report.) This announced change will be in addition to the premiums reflected in the
above table.
Increasing the premiums that FHA charges is likely to result in more revenue coming into the
MMI Fund, unless the increase in premiums reduces the volume of new FHA-insured mortgages
by a great enough amount to counteract the increase in premiums. Increased premiums have the
potential to reduce FHA’s role in the mortgage market by pricing some borrowers out of the
market for FHA-insured mortgages or by making private mortgage insurance more competitive
with FHA insurance for some borrowers. Raising premiums might also better align the pricing of
FHA-insured mortgages with their risk, although in some cases raising the premiums has the
potential to actually increase the riskiness of the mortgage. For example, because the upfront
premium is generally financed into the mortgage, increasing the upfront mortgage insurance
premium has the effect of reducing a borrower’s initial equity in the home (by increasing the
initial loan balance and/or reducing the amount of funds that a borrower has available for a
downpayment).
Changes to Downpayment and Credit Score Requirements
Another change that FHA has undertaken is increasing the required downpayment for borrowers
with lower credit scores. Prior to making this change, the required FHA downpayment was 3.5%
for most borrowers, except that borrowers with credit scores below 500 were required to make a
downpayment of at least 10%.
Congressional Research Service
22
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Beginning on October 4, 2010, FHA requires a downpayment of at least 10% from borrowers
with credit scores between 500 and 579, while the downpayment requirement of 3.5% remains in
place for borrowers with credit scores of 580 or above. FHA has expressed concerns about risk
layering, suggesting that loans are at a higher risk of default when a loan exhibits multiple risk
factors (such as a lower credit score combined with a higher loan-to-value ratio), rather than just
one risk factor.56 The increased downpayment for borrowers with credit scores below 580 is
aimed at addressing that concern.
Furthermore, FHA no longer insures loans made to borrowers with credit scores below 500.57
FHA has stated that it has not insured many loans where the borrower’s credit score is below 500,
but the loans that it does insure with borrower credit scores below that threshold perform
appreciably less well than loans to borrowers with higher credit scores.58 Since it currently insures
few loans that fit these criteria, FHA believes these changes will affect a relatively small number
of potential borrowers.
Table 4 summarizes the current downpayment requirements.
Table 4. Required Downpayments for FHA-Insured Mortgages
Effective as of October 4, 2010
Previous Required
Current Required
Credit Score
Downpayment
Downpayment
Below 500
10%
Not eligible for FHA insurance
500-579 3.5%
10%
580 or above
3.5%
3.5%
Source: FHA Mortgagee Letter 10-29
FHA is able to undertake these changes through rulemaking procedures, and it published a
Federal Register notice on July 15, 2010, soliciting public comment on these and other changes.59
HUD then issued a Final Rule addressing only this change on September 3, 2010,60 along with
administrative guidance providing additional information on the implementation of this change.61
56 Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration Risk Management Initiatives:
Reduction of Seller Concessions and New Loan-to-Value and Credit Score Requirements,” 75 Federal Register 41218,
July 15, 2010.
57 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FHA Mortgagee Letter 10-29, “Minimum Credit Scores and
Loan-to-Value Ratios,” September 3, 2010, http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/files/10-
29ml.pdf.
58 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration Risk Management
Initiatives: Reduction of Seller Concessions and New Loan-to-Value and Credit Score Requirements,” 75 Federal
Register 41221, July 15, 2010.
59 Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration Risk Management Initiatives:
Reduction of Seller Concessions and New Loan-to-Value and Credit Score Requirements,” 75 Federal Register 41217-
41225, July 15, 2010.
60 Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration Risk Management Initiatives:
New Loan-to-Value and Credit Score Requirements,” 75 Federal Register 54020-54023, September 3, 2010.
61 Department of Housing and Urban Development, FHA Mortgagee Letter 10-29, “Minimum Credit Scores and Loan-
to-Value Ratios,” September 3, 2010, http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/files/10-29ml.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
23
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Figure 3 illustrates the distribution of borrowers’ credit scores by dollar volume of loans insured
by FHA in each year between 2006 and 2011. The percentage of the total dollar volume of FHA-
insured loans made to borrowers with lower credit scores decreased over this time period, and the
percentage of loans made to borrowers with higher credit scores increased, particularly in the
2009-2011 time period. This outcome reflects the general tightening of mortgage credit in the
aftermath of the housing bubble, when even some borrowers with strong credit scores might have
had difficulty accessing private alternatives for mortgage insurance, and some borrowers with
lower credit scores might not have been able to obtain a mortgage at all. In addition, the increase
in the loan limits for FHA-insured mortgages, particularly in high-cost areas, may have made
FHA-insured loans an option for more borrowers with better credit scores who live in those areas.
Since 2009, well under 10% of FHA-insured loans (by dollar volume) have been made to
borrowers with credit scores below 600; in earlier years, higher proportions of the dollar volume
of loans insured in each year were made to such borrowers, including over 30% in 2007. Given
this shift towards FHA serving a higher proportion of borrowers with better credit scores in recent
years, it is likely that the downpayment changes for the borrowers with the lowest credit scores
will affect a relatively small share of potential borrowers in the near future. However, if
borrowers with higher credit scores begin turning to the conventional mortgage market and
private mortgage insurance, and if FHA seeks to return to a more traditional role of insuring a
higher proportion of mortgages made to borrowers with lower credit scores, it is possible that
more borrowers who traditionally might have sought out FHA-insured mortgages could find
themselves unable to qualify based on their credit scores and the higher downpayment
requirements.
Congressional Research Service
24
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Figure 3. Percentage of Newly Originated FHA-Insured Mortgages (by Dollar
Volume) by Borrower FICO Score
FY2006-FY2012
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
300-499
500-559
560-599
600-639
640-679
680-850
Source: Figure created by CRS based on data from Integrated Financial Engineering, Inc., Actuarial Review of the
Federal Housing Administration Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (Excluding HECMs) for Fiscal Year 2012, prepared for
the Department of Housing and Urban Development, page 48.
Notes: Missing data in each year ranges from a low of 0.31% in FY2012 to a high of 4.66% in FY2006.
Proposed Reduction in Allowable Seller Concessions
FHA has also proposed reducing the amount of allowable seller concessions to 3% of the lesser of
the home’s sale price or appraised value, down from 6%. Seller concessions are any contribution
to the borrower’s closing costs made by the seller or any other interested third party. FHA
maintains that this change is in line with industry standards for loans with loan-to-value ratios
similar to FHA’s, and that FHA-insured loans with higher amounts of seller concessions have
performed more poorly in the past.62 While higher amounts of seller concessions will not be
absolutely prohibited, any amount of seller concessions above the 3% threshold will result in a
reduction of the maximum loan amount that FHA will insure. FHA proposed this change in the
same Federal Register notice in which it announced its new credit score and loan-to-value ratio
requirements, and solicited public comment until August 16, 2010.
62 Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration Risk Management Initiatives:
Reduction of Seller Concessions and New Loan-to-Value and Credit Score Requirements,” 75 Federal Register 41220,
July 15, 2010. For example, FHA notes that seller concessions are capped at 4% of the sales price for loans guaranteed
by the VA.
Congressional Research Service
25
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
In February 2012, FHA issued a notice revising its proposal and soliciting comments on the
revisions.63 Specifically, FHA proposed limiting seller concessions to the greater of $6,000 or 3%
of the lesser of the home’s purchase price or appraised value. The notice also limits the items for
which seller concessions could be used. FHA has not yet issued a final rule implementing this
proposed change.
Prohibition on Seller-Funded Downpayment Assistance
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-289) prohibited FHA from insuring
loans that benefitted from a practice known as seller-funded downpayment assistance. Under
seller-funded downpayment assistance programs, borrowers would receive a gift of funds for a
downpayment from a non-profit agency, and the seller of the home would later make a
contribution to the non-profit agency in the amount of the downpayment. This allowed the
borrower to essentially receive funds for the downpayment from the seller of the home, even
though FHA prohibits downpayment funds from coming directly from the seller, since the seller’s
funds were not technically being used for the borrower’s downpayment.64
Proponents of seller-funded downpayment assistance programs argued that they helped people
who could afford mortgage payments but would not be able to save up the cash for a large
downpayment to become homeowners. However, critics argued that the cost of this downpayment
assistance often resulted in a higher sales price, meaning that the cost was ultimately paid by the
borrower.
FHA’s data indicate that loans with seller-funded downpayment assistance have performed
especially poorly. FHA insured over 1 million loans with seller-funded downpayment assistance
between 1998 and 2009, and according to FHA data, these loans have had claim rates as high as
three times those of other FHA-insured loans. As of FY2010, FHA reported that 34% of seller-
funded downpayment assisted loans that were still active were seriously delinquent, along with
12% of refinanced seller-funded downpayment assisted loans.65 FHA indicates that the MMI
Fund’s economic value would have been estimated to be positive in FY2012 if FHA had not
insured these loans, and that it expects the seller-funded downpayment assistance loans to
ultimately cost the MMI Fund over $15 billion.66
63 Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Risk Management
Initiatives: Revised Seller Concessions,” 77 Federal Register 10695-10707, February 23, 2012.
64 For more information on seller-funded downpayment assistance, see CRS Report RS22934, Treatment of Seller-
Funded Downpayment Assistance in FHA-Insured Home Loans, by Bruce E. Foote, and Government Accountability
Office, Mortgage Financing: Additional Action Needed to Manage Risks of FHA-Insured Loans with Down Payment
Assistance, November 2005, http://www.gao.gov/assets/250/248463.pdf.
65 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Report to Congress Regarding the Financial Status of
the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, Fiscal Year 2010, November 15, 2010, pages 24-25, http://portal.hud.gov/
hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=DOC_12561.pdf.
66 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Report to Congress on the Financial Status of the
Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, FY2012, November 16, 2012, p. 25, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/
huddoc?id=F12MMIFundRepCong111612.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
26
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Lender Monitoring and Risk Management
In order to originate mortgages that will be insured by FHA, a lender has to be approved by FHA.
FHA-approved lenders must meet certain criteria, and the loans that they submit for FHA
insurance must meet FHA’s standards. Loans that do not meet FHA’s requirements, but are
submitted for FHA insurance, can cost FHA money if they default in the future. Therefore, FHA
can take a number of actions against lenders if they do not adhere to FHA’s requirements.
In recent years, FHA has taken a number of steps to increase its oversight of FHA-approved
lenders and otherwise manage its risk. Congress also strengthened FHA’s authority related to
FHA-insured lenders through certain provisions enacted in the Helping Families Save Their
Homes Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-22).67
Net Worth Requirements for FHA-Insured Lenders
In April 2010, HUD published a final rule with request for comments making several changes
related to FHA’s risk management.68 This final rule increased the net worth requirements for
FHA-approved lenders to $1 million, with at least 20% of that amount held in cash or its
equivalent, effective May 20, 2010, for new applicants and effective May 20, 2011, for lenders
who were already FHA-approved. By May 20, 2013, FHA-insured lenders will be required to
have a net worth of $1 million plus an additional 1% of the volume of FHA-insured loans
originated, underwritten, purchased, or serviced by the lender in the previous fiscal year, up to a
maximum net worth requirement of $2.5 million. Twenty percent of this net worth requirement
must be held in liquid assets.
FHA’s rationale for this change is that it is necessary to ensure that FHA-approved lenders have
sufficient liquidity to withstand market fluctuations and any related losses that they might incur.
FHA also notes that the net worth requirements had not been increased since 1993, and therefore
this change was necessary to account for inflation. However, some lenders have raised concerns
that the increased net worth requirements could be burdensome for some lenders, and in
particular could be more difficult for small lenders to meet than large lenders. Some have also
raised concerns that increased costs to lenders of complying with these requirements could be
passed on to borrowers.69
67 See FHA Mortgagee Letter 09-31, “Strengthening Counterparty Risk Management,” September 18, 2009, available
at http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/2009ml.cfm, for a description of the provisions related
to FHA lender monitoring that were enacted in the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act.
68 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration: Continuation of FHA
Reform: Strengthening Risk Management Through Responsible FHA-Approved Lenders,” 75 Federal Register 20718-
20735, April 20, 2010. A Final Rule providing clarification and correction was published in August 2012. See U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration: Strengthening Risk Management
Through Responsible FHA-Approved Lenders,” 77 Federal Register 51465-51469, August 24, 2012.
69 For example, see the discussion of the comments submitted on these changes in the April 2010 Final Rule with
request for comment at 75 Federal Register 20722. Also, see the discussion of these changes and the concerns that
some industry participants have raised in Government Accountability Office, “Federal Housing Administration:
Improvements Needed in Risk Assessment and Human Capital Management,” November 2011, pages 28-29,
http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/586116.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
27
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Elimination of Approval of Loan Correspondents
In the same rule, FHA also made changes in its approval and monitoring of entities, such as
mortgage brokers, that partner with lenders to originate FHA-insured loans. As noted, in order to
make FHA-insured loans, a lender must be approved by FHA. FHA had issued a different type of
approval to entities that partner with lenders to originate FHA-insured loans, and it referred to
these entities as loan correspondents. The entities it referred to as loan correspondents perform
many functions related to originating a mortgage, but cannot underwrite FHA-insured mortgages,
nor can they service or own such mortgages. Full-fledged FHA participating lenders, on the other
hand, are authorized to perform all origination functions including underwriting, and can own and
service FHA-insured loans.
In the April 2010 final rule, FHA announced that it would no longer give FHA approval to loan
correspondents. Entities that were previously approved as loan correspondents can continue to
participate in the process of originating FHA-insured loans by becoming what FHA will now call
third-party originators (TPOs) and partnering with an FHA-approved lender. The FHA-approved
lender, not FHA, is now responsible for overseeing TPOs that it partners with and ensuring that
they comply with all FHA requirements. TPOs can also apply to become FHA-approved lenders
if they are able to undertake the underwriting, servicing, and ownership functions of FHA-
approved lenders.
FHA’s rationale for this change is that the lender responsible for underwriting, owning, or
servicing the mortgage bears the most responsibility for the mortgage, and therefore FHA’s
approval and oversight resources should be focused on these entities rather than on TPOs. By no
longer issuing approval to loan correspondents/TPOs, FHA can focus more of its oversight efforts
and resources on the lenders that underwrite, own, and service FHA-insured mortgages. FHA
believes that it is appropriate for FHA-insured lenders to bear the responsibility for ensuring that
TPOs comply with FHA’s requirements, since it is already the responsibility of lenders to make
sure that the FHA-insured loans that they originate meet FHA’s standards. However, some
industry participants have raised concerns that removing the separate approval of loan
correspondents could make it more difficult for some entities, including small banks, to
participate in FHA programs, or could increase costs to FHA-approved lenders who will need to
hire new staff to perform functions for which it used to rely on loan correspondents. Some have
also raised concerns about removing FHA oversight of TPOs entirely, and noted that this change
could increase risk to the insurance fund if FHA-approved lenders do not adequately oversee
TPOs.70
FHA stopped approving new applications for approval as loan correspondents on May 30, 2010;
loan correspondents who were already approved retained that approval through December 31,
2010. As of January 1, 2011, the entities now known as TPOs are no longer allowed to close loans
in their own name. This is because, by statute, loans must be closed by FHA-approved lenders,
and TPOs are not eligible for FHA approval. However, FHA has said that it will continue to
examine the issue of prohibiting TPOs from closing loans in their own names.
70 For example, see the discussion of the comments submitted on these changes in the April 2010 Final Rule with
request for comment at 75 Federal Register 20723-20724.
Congressional Research Service
28
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Chief Risk Officer
In September 2009, FHA announced that it was appointing a Chief Risk Officer for the first time
in its history. The Chief Risk Officer now has coordinated responsibility for overseeing all of the
risk management functions across FHA programs.71 Previously, responsibility for managing risk
was spread across different program offices. FHA believes that a single Chief Risk Officer can
take a more consolidated approach to managing risk in FHA’s programs, which could reduce its
exposure to risk and therefore strengthen the MMI Fund.
Increased Oversight of FHA-Approved Lenders
FHA monitors approved lenders that originate FHA-insured mortgages, and FHA can take certain
administrative actions against lenders who submit mortgages for insurance that do not meet FHA
guidelines or otherwise fail to adhere to FHA standards. These actions include suspending lenders
from FHA programs or terminating their approval to originate FHA-insured mortgages entirely,
imposing civil money penalties, or other actions. HUD’s Mortgagee Review Board (MRB)
reviews cases of lenders not complying with FHA requirements and enters into agreements to
bring lenders into compliance or imposes penalties where necessary.72 HUD can also refer certain
cases to the Justice Department for prosecution under federal statutes such as the False Claims
Act or the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act.
FHA has increasingly taken action against lenders who originated mortgages that did not adhere
to FHA guidelines in recent years. Between 2009 and mid-2011, the MRB took over 2,000
actions against lenders.73 FHA has also pursued some high-profile cases against lenders who had
high FHA claim rates due to poor underwriting or otherwise did not follow FHA guidelines.74
In addition to increasing actions against lenders under its existing authority, FHA has also
implemented changes through regulation to strengthen its authority to require certain lenders to
compensate FHA for insurance claims paid on mortgages that do not meet its requirements. FHA-
approved lenders that are also approved to originate FHA-insured mortgages under a certain
process75 may be required by statute to compensate, or indemnify, FHA in cases of fraud or
misrepresentation on the part of the lender or for claims paid on mortgages that did not comply
71 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “FHA Announces Credit Policy Changes, Adding Chief Risk
Officer,” press release, September 18, 2009, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/
press_releases_media_advisories/2009/HUDNo.09-177.
72 For more information on the Mortgagee Review Board, see HUD’s website at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?
src=/program_offices/housing/sfh/mrb/mrbabout.
73 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “FHA’s Mortgagee Review Board Takes Action Against 240
Lenders,” press release, July 29, 2011, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/
press_releases_media_advisories/2011/HUDNo.11-161.
74 For examples of different types of actions HUD has taken against certain lenders, see HUD press release 09-217,
FHA and Ginnie Mae Take Action Against Lend America, November 30, 2009, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?
src=/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2009/HUDNo.09-217 and HUD press release 12-163, Manhattan U.S.
Attorney Files Mortgage Fraud Lawsuit Against Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Seeking Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in
Damages for Fraudulently Certified Loans, October 9, 2012, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/
press_releases_media_advisories/2012/HUDNo.12-163.
75 FHA can require indemnification from lenders who originate loans under the Lender Insurance process. Certain high-
performing FHA-approved lenders can be approved to originate loans under the Lender Insurance process, which
allows them to endorse loans for FHA insurance without a pre-insurance endorsement review by FHA.
Congressional Research Service
29
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
with FHA loan requirements.76 In October 2010, FHA issued a proposed rule that would clarify
these requirements,77 and in January 2012, FHA issued a final rule implementing these updated
requirements.78
FHA is also seeking statutory changes that would increase FHA’s indemnification authority by
extending the indemnification provisions to other FHA-approved lenders, as well as changes that
would expand FHA’s authority to terminate the approval of lenders under certain circumstances.
Such provisions have been included in FHA reform legislation that has been considered by
Congress; examples of such bills are noted in the “Selected Legislative Proposals” section of this
report.
Additional Changes Announced with the FY2012 Actuarial Review
When the FY2012 annual actuarial review was released in November 2012, it estimated that the
MMI Fund does not currently have enough funds on hand to cover all of its expected future losses
on the loans that it currently insures. (See the “Annual Actuarial Review and 2% Capital Ratio
Requirement” section of this report for an overview, and the Appendix for a more in-depth
discussion of the actuarial review.) The results of the actuarial review suggest that FHA could at
some point need funds from Treasury to hold in reserve against expected future losses. However,
the need for funds from Treasury would be determined by the annual budget re-estimate process,
not the actuarial review.
Given the results of the FY2012 actuarial review, FHA announced a number of additional policy
changes intended to avoid the need to draw funds from Treasury to hold in reserve against
expected future losses. Broadly speaking, these policy changes can be divided into changes that
affect existing loans, and those that will affect new loans insured by FHA in the future. These
changes are briefly described below.
In addition to the policy changes described here, FHA also indicated that it could announce
additional policy changes in the future, including changes related to FHA-insured reverse
mortgages. FHA has also requested legislative action to provide it with additional authority to
oversee lenders. Specifically, it has requested increased authority to require compensation for
insurance claims from lenders in certain situations, increased authority to terminate the approval
lenders that are not performing well, and greater authority to transfer mortgage servicing rights to
servicers that are better at utilizing loss mitigation actions to reduce losses to the MMI Fund.79
These changes would require legislation, and are not within FHA’s existing authority.
76 12 U.S.C. § 1715z-21(c)
77 Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Single Family Lender
Insurance Process: Eligibility, Indemnification, and Termination,” 75 Federal Register 62335-62342, October 8, 2010.
78 Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Single Family Lender
Insurance Process: Eligibility, Indemnification, and Termination,” 77 Federal Register 3598-3605, January 25, 2012.
79 The increased legislative authorities that FHA is requesting are described on pages 57-58 of FHA’s FY2012 Annual
Report to Congress on the Financial Status of the MMI Fund.
Congressional Research Service
30
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Changes Affecting Loans Already Insured
FHA announced a number of policy changes that will affect loans that it already insures. These
changes mostly have to do with how FHA deals with defaulted FHA-insured mortgages or
foreclosed properties. The actions announced by FHA include the following:
• Expanding a pilot program through which FHA sells FHA-insured mortgages in
default to investors.
• Making changes to loss mitigation procedures designed to help more borrowers
keep their homes and, consequently, reduce claims paid on foreclosures.80
• Streamlining its short sale policy to try to increase the number of mortgages that
are sold in a short sale rather than a foreclosure. Since homes that go through
short sales often sell for less of a loss than a foreclosure, FHA expects that
facilitating more short sales will reduce losses to the MMI Fund.
• Expanding a pilot program through which foreclosed homes are sold by lenders
rather than being conveyed to FHA to sell. This is expected to reduce losses to
the MMI Fund by reducing the costs to FHA of managing foreclosed properties
before they are sold.
Changes Affecting Future Loans
FHA also announced a number of policy changes that will affect mortgages that it insures in the
future. First, it announced that it would increase the annual premiums that it charges borrowers
for insurance by an additional 0.1 percentage points. This means that, when this change becomes
effective, the annual premiums for most loans that are shown in Table 3 will increase, depending
on the loan-to-value ratio, to 1.3% (from 1.2%) or to 1.35% (from 1.25%), respectively.
Second, FHA plans to re-institute a policy of requiring borrowers to pay the annual mortgage
insurance premium for the life of the loan. Currently, FHA follows a policy instituted in 2001 of
canceling the mortgage insurance premium when the loan-to-value ratio reaches 78%, provided
that the borrower has paid the premium for at least five years.81 FHA notes that it continues to
insure the entire loan amount even after the loan-to-value ratio reaches 78%, and that it has had to
pay claims for loans for which borrowers were no longer paying mortgage insurance premiums.
Third, FHA announced that it plans to implement policies to encourage or require more borrowers
of FHA-insured loans to receive housing counseling, which could improve the ability of these
borrowers to stay current on their mortgages.82 Details of such policies will be announced in the
future.
80 See FHA Mortgagee Letter 2012-22, released November 16, 2012, for more detailed information on these changes.
81 The policy of canceling annual mortgage insurance premiums when the loan-to-value ratio reached 78% was
established in FHA Mortgagee Letter 00-38, available at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/
administration/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/2000ml. For loans where the mortgage term was fifteen years or less,
borrowers could have their annual mortgage insurance premiums when the loan-to-value ratio reached 78% even if they
had not been paying premiums for at least five years.
82 For more information on housing counseling, see CRS Report R41351, Housing Counseling: Background and
Federal Role, by Katie Jones.
Congressional Research Service
31
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Selected Legislative Proposals
Several policymakers have proposed making legislative changes to FHA’s single-family program
aimed at strengthening the MMI Fund’s financial position and minimizing its risk. Some of these
changes could also have the effect of reducing FHA’s role in the mortgage market. This section
briefly describes some recent legislative proposals related to the financial health of the MMI
Fund, although it does not discuss all recent legislative debates related to FHA; for example, it
does not discuss legislative proposals related to the FHA loan limits.
Some legislative changes that have been proposed to protect the MMI Fund include tightening
underwriting standards for FHA-insured mortgages, such as increasing the required
downpayment amount or raising the minimum credit score for borrowers seeking FHA-insured
mortgages. Such changes could reduce the risk of borrowers defaulting on their mortgages, but
could also have the effect of making some borrowers unable to qualify for FHA-insured
mortgages. Other changes that have been suggested include allowing or requiring further
increases in the mortgage insurance premiums charged to borrowers. (Because FHA is currently
charging less than the maximum premium amounts allowed by law, FHA currently has the
authority to increase its premiums further. However, legislation could require FHA to raise its
premiums, or could raise the statutory maximums without requiring an increase in the premiums
that are actually charged.)
Other suggested changes focus on providing FHA with additional authority to take actions against
FHA-approved lenders who originate loans that do not conform to FHA’s requirements. Namely,
these proposals would expand FHA’s authority to require lenders to compensate FHA under
certain circumstances if the lenders originated FHA-insured mortgages that did not meet FHA’s
standards, and would expand FHA’s authority to terminate lenders’ approval to originate FHA-
insured mortgages under certain circumstances. FHA has requested legislation to provide it with
these expanded authorities.
Another set of suggested policy changes would require greater transparency and reporting from
FHA on the performance of its insured mortgages, particularly during periods when the capital
ratio is below 2%. For example, some have proposed requiring more frequent actuarial reports on
the MMI Fund. Still other proposals would replace the Chief Risk Officer with a Deputy
Secretary of HUD in charge of risk management for FHA.
Some of these proposed changes have been included in various bills that have been considered,
but not enacted, in recent Congresses. In the 112th Congress, the FHA Emergency Fiscal Solvency
Act of 2012 (H.R. 4264) was passed by the House of Representatives in September 2012 and
includes some of the above provisions. Among other things, H.R. 4264 would do the following:
• it would raise both the minimum and maximum statutory annual mortgage
insurance premiums that FHA can charge (the minimum premium would be set at
0.55%, a level that is below the annual mortgage insurance premium that FHA is
currently charging);
• it would provide FHA with increased authority to terminate lenders’ FHA
approval and to require compensation from lenders under certain circumstances
when mortgages do not meet FHA’s requirements;
• it would create the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Risk Management
and Regulatory Affairs within HUD;
Congressional Research Service
32
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
• it would require greater reporting on the financial status of the MMI Fund, such
as requiring HUD to submit an emergency capital plan that describes how FHA
plans to restore the MMI Fund to financial soundness; requiring semiannual
independent actuarial studies of the MMI Fund during periods when the capital
ratio requirement is not being met, and requiring HUD to analyze the feasibility
of conducting independent actuarial reviews of the MMI Fund on a quarterly
basis; and requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to provide for
a one-time third-party review of the financial soundness of the MMI Fund
conducted in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
A bill identical to the House bill (S. 3678) was introduced in the Senate in December 2012.
A number of additional bills containing various FHA reform provisions were introduced in the
112th Congress and other recent Congresses, but most of these bills were not reported out of
committee.
Congressional Research Service
33
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Appendix. Annual Actuarial Review of the
MMI Fund
By law, FHA is required to contract with an independent actuarial firm each year to analyze the
actuarial soundness of the MMI Fund.83 This annual actuarial review, which was discussed more
briefly in the body of this report, is separate from the budgetary treatment of FHA-insured loans.
This appendix describes the actuarial review and important related concepts, including the 2%
capital ratio requirement, in more detail, and discusses the results of the FY2012 actuarial review
released in November 2012.
In the annual actuarial review, the independent actuary reviews the MMI Fund’s financial
information to estimate the MMI Fund’s current financial position, including the amount of funds
it currently has on hand and the losses that it expects to incur in the future on the loans that it
currently insures. It also uses economic modeling to project the MMI Fund’s financial status for
several years into the future under a “base case” scenario, based on current projections of future
economic conditions, and several alternative economic scenarios. Some of the key terms used in
the actuarial report include the following:
• Capital resources are the net assets (assets84 minus liabilities) that the MMI Fund
currently has on hand that can be converted into cash to pay claims on defaulted
mortgages or other expenses.
• Present value of future cash flows on outstanding business is the estimated
amount that the MMI Fund is currently expected to gain or lose in the future on
the loans that it currently insures (this estimate does not take into account any
new loans that might be insured in the future).
• Economic value is the difference between the MMI Fund’s capital resources and
the present value of future cash flows on outstanding business. It represents the
amount of capital resources that the MMI Fund would have after expected future
cash flows on currently insured loans are realized. In other words, it represents
the amount that the MMI Fund currently has on hand that could be used to pay
for any additional, unexpected losses on its outstanding loans.
In the FY2012 actuarial review,85 the independent actuaries estimated the MMI Fund’s total
capital resources to be $30.4 billion (including both regular single-family mortgages and reverse
mortgages). This is the amount of resources that FHA currently has on hand that can be converted
into cash to pay claims. The actuaries estimated the present value of future cash flows on insured
83 This requirement is codified at 12 U.S.C. 1708(a)(4). It was enacted as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508) and the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-625).
(Both laws included identical provisions related to the actuarial soundness of the MMI Fund.)
84 The MMI Fund’s assets include things such as cash, Treasury investments, and foreclosed properties held by HUD.
85 There are actually two actuarial reviews: one analyzes only traditional FHA-insured single-family mortgages, and the
other analyzes only FHA-insured reverse mortgages. Both of these actuarial reviews can be found at
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?mode=dispcontent&id=HSG_ACTRMENU_10941&type=HUDGOV_HTML&
rsm=Latest&width=664. FHA combines the numbers from the two actuarial reviews to arrive at a total economic value
of the MMI Fund in its annual report to Congress on the status of the MMI Fund, which can be found at
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=F12MMIFundRepCong111612.pdf. The discussion of the
economic value of the MMI Fund and the capital ratio estimate begins on p. 34 of that report.
Congressional Research Service
34
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
loans to be negative $46.6 billion. In other words, in present value terms, the loans that FHA
currently insures are expected to cost FHA nearly $47 billion over the remaining life of those
loans. The economic value of the MMI Fund, therefore, was estimated by the actuaries to be
negative $16.3 billion ($30.4 billion - $46.6 billion). This is a decrease from an economic value
of positive $2.6 billion at the end of FY2011, at which point the MMI Fund was estimated to have
capital resources of $32.4 billion and a present value of future cash flows of negative $29.9
billion.86 This represents the first time that the MMI Fund has been estimated to have a negative
economic value since the early 1990s,87 when a series of changes were enacted aimed at ensuring
the financial soundness of the MMI Fund, including the requirement for an independent annual
actuarial review.
A negative economic value means that the MMI Fund does not currently have enough capital
resources on hand to pay for all of its expected future losses over the life of the loans that are
currently insured. An economic value of negative $16.3 billion means that, based on the MMI
Fund’s current capital resources and current estimates of future cash flows on insured loans, FHA
would be short about $16.3 billion when these currently insured loans ran their course. However,
this does not mean that FHA is currently out of money.88 The projected losses on the loans
currently insured by FHA will be realized over the life of those loans, rather than all at once,
potentially giving FHA time to increase its capital resources before these projected losses are
realized. Whether or not the MMI Fund will ever actually run out of money to pay claims
depends on factors such as whether the projections of future cash flows are accurate and whether
the MMI Fund is able to build enough additional capital resources over time, such as through
additional premium revenue from newly insured mortgages, to pay for these expected claims.
The projections included in the actuarial report rely on several assumptions. For one thing, the
estimates of the MMI Fund’s current status assume that FHA will not insure any more mortgages.
In actuality, FHA will likely continue to insure loans, which will bring in new capital resources in
the form of premium revenues, but will also create new liabilities in terms of claims.
Furthermore, the review relies upon assumptions about future economic conditions. To the extent
that actual future economic conditions differ from these assumptions, the estimates of the MMI
Fund’s value will also be different.89 Although the independent actuaries estimate that the MMI
86 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Report to Congress Regarding the Financial Status of
the FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, Fiscal Year 2010, p. 13, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/
huddoc?id=fhammifannrptfy2010.pdf.
87 See, for example, General Accounting Office, Mortgage Financing: Actuarial Soundness of the Federal Housing
Administration’s Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, statement of Thomas J. McCool before the Subcommittee on
Housing and Community Opportunity, House Committee on Financial Services, March 20, 2001, p. 2, showing an
estimated negative economic value of the MMI Fund in 1990 and 1991.
88 The FY2012 actuarial review estimates that there is about a 5% chance of the MMI Fund’s capital resources
becoming negative at some point in the next seven years. Negative capital resources would mean that FHA did not have
money to pay current claims. See p. iii of the FY2012 actuarial review.
89 To understand how assumptions about future economic conditions affect estimates of the MMI Fund’s current value,
consider that, for example, the future path of house prices affects current estimates of future cash flows on mortgages
insured under the MMI Fund. If house prices fall more than expected in the future, then cash flows on currently insured
mortgages might be more negative than currently anticipated due to more foreclosures and foreclosed properties held
by FHA selling for less money; if house prices rise more than expected in the future, then cash flows on currently
insured mortgages might be more positive than currently anticipated due to fewer foreclosures and foreclosed
properties selling for more money. Likewise, assumptions about other economic indicators in the future also impact
current estimates of future cash flows associated with currently insured mortgages.
Congressional Research Service
35
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Fund’s economic value in FY2012 is negative $16 billion, they note that, under a variety of
alternative future economic scenarios, the MMI Fund’s economic value could be different. The
actuaries estimated the MMI Fund’s economic value under 100 randomly generated economic
paths; the base case estimate (the negative $16 billion) represents the average expected economic
value among these 100 paths. The base case estimate for traditional single-family mortgages only
(excluding reverse mortgages) is negative $13.5 billion. Under the tenth-best economic scenario,
the economic value for traditional single-family mortgages is actually positive in FY2012; under
the worst scenario, the economic value is negative $65 billion.90 Under two additional scenarios
that were considered, a protracted economic slump scenario and a scenario where interest rates
are lower for a longer period of time, the economic value would be more negative than is
currently estimated. Under the protracted slump scenario, the economic value of the traditional
single-family mortgages would remain negative through FY2019; under the low interest rate
scenario, the economic value would become positive again in FY2015.
There are several reasons that the estimate of the MMI Fund’s economic value is worse in
FY2012 than it was in FY2011. One reason is updated interest rate and house price forecasts that
are less favorable than the previous year. Another reason is a number of changes to the actuarial
model, including some that were recommended by the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
and others. A number of additional factors also contributed to changes in the estimate of the MMI
Fund’s economic value.91
The 2% Capital Ratio Requirement
In the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508), in response to concerns about
the solvency of the FHA single-family insurance program, Congress mandated that, going
forward, the MMI Fund’s economic value must be at least 2% of the total dollar amount of
loans92 that it is currently insuring. This is known as the capital ratio requirement.93 The capital
ratio, then, is an expression of the economic value of the MMI Fund as a percentage of the total
dollar volume of loans insured by the MMI Fund. It is a measure of how much capital the MMI
Fund has on hand to pay for unexpected losses on currently insured loans, after the amounts
estimated to be needed to cover expected losses are taken into account.
Brief History of the Capital Ratio Requirement
The capital ratio requirement for the MMI Fund was enacted by Congress in 1990 amid concerns
that the Fund could become insolvent. In 1990, the MMI Fund had a negative economic value.
90 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Report to Congress on the Financial Status of the
MMI Fund, FY2012, p. 47, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=F12MMIFundRepCong111612.pdf.
91 See pages 20-27 of the FY2012 actuarial review for more information on the factors that accounted for changes in
the economic value of the MMI Fund and the impact of each of these factors.
92 The legislation calls for the capital ratio to be calculated as the economic value of the MMI Fund divided by
unamortized insurance-in-force. Unamortized insurance-in-force is generally understood to mean the original principal
balance of insured mortgages. However, the legislation defines unamortized insurance-in-force as “the remaining
obligation on outstanding mortgages,” a definition that is usually understood to be amortized insurance-in-force. The
actuarial report includes both amortized and unamortized insurance-in-force as generally understood, allowing the
capital ratio to be calculated both ways.
93 12 U.S.C. 1711(f). The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 is also the law that required annual independent
actuarial reports on the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.
Congressional Research Service
36
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
This meant that the expected future cash flows associated with the mortgages currently insured by
the MMI Fund were higher than the capital resources that the Fund had on hand to pay for those
claims. In response, legislation passed by Congress directed FHA to make certain changes that
were intended to result in the Fund building up reserves of at least 2% of the dollar volume of
mortgages that it currently insured to cover future unexpected losses on these insured loans.
These changes included charging borrowers an annual mortgage insurance premium to go along
with the existing premium that was paid upfront and suspending certain payments, known as
distributive shares, that were previously paid to borrowers under certain conditions. The law also
established the requirement for the annual independent actuarial review. Some of these changes,
such as the additional mortgage insurance premium, essentially meant that FHA would charge
more to future borrowers to build up reserves to pay for losses on mortgages made to past
borrowers.
As Congress considered the legislation, there was debate over the appropriate level for the capital
ratio requirement.94 This debate highlights the ongoing tension that FHA faces between
maintaining its financial soundness and carrying out its purpose of expanding access to affordable
mortgage credit for underserved borrowers. The 2% threshold was adopted because it was viewed
as being high enough to provide FHA with a cushion to withstand unexpected losses, but without
imposing an undue financial burden on future FHA-insured borrowers. A higher capital ratio
requirement would have likely required FHA to charge higher premiums for FHA insurance. It
was recognized that a 2% requirement would likely be high enough to withstand moderate future
economic downturns, but would likely not be high enough to allow the MMI Fund to withstand a
catastrophic economic downturn. According to GAO testimony from 2000:
Determining what constitutes an adequate reserve level is essentially a question of what
kinds of adverse economic conditions—moderately severe or catastrophic—the reserve
should be able to withstand.... In the actuarial review of the Fund conducted by Price
Waterhouse for fiscal year 1989, the researchers concluded that actuarial soundness would be
consistent with a reserve that could withstand adverse, but not catastrophic, economic
downturns. They further concluded that the Treasury implicitly covers catastrophic risk.... By
contrast, rating agencies have taken the position, when evaluating private mortgage insurers,
that they should have enough capital to withstand catastrophic risk.... However, requiring
FHA to hold capital equivalent to that held by private mortgage insurers would likely impair
FHA’s public purpose.95
While the law requires the Secretary of HUD to ensure that the MMI Fund maintains a capital
ratio of 2%, it does not specify consequences or specific actions that the Secretary must take if the
capital ratio falls below that threshold.96
94 See the discussion of the history of the capital ratio in Capone Jr., Charles A., “Credit Risk, Capital, and Federal
Housing Administration Mortgage Insurance,” Journal of Housing Research, Volume 11, Issue 2, available at
http://content.knowledgeplex.org/kp2/img/cache/kp/1215.pdf.
95 United States General Accounting Office, Mortgage Financing: Financial Health of the Federal Housing
Administration’s Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, Statement of Stanley J. Czerwinski before the Subcommittee on
Housing and Transportation, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, September 12, 2000, p. 7-8,
http://gao.gov/assets/110/108623.pdf.
96 The capital ratio requirement is codified at 12 U.S.C. § 1711(f). A separate section of the law, 12 U.S.C. §
1708(a)(3), also requires the Secretary to make sure that the MMI Fund is financially sound.
Congressional Research Service
37
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
The Capital Ratio in Recent Years
The capital ratio is reported in FHA’s annual report to Congress on the status of the MMI Fund,
using the actuarial report’s numbers for both traditional single-family mortgages and reverse
mortgages insured by FHA. In FY2009, the capital ratio was estimated to be 0.53%,97
representing the first time that the capital ratio had fallen below 2% since the requirement was
first met in FY1995.98 The capital ratio has remained below 2% since then.
As noted, the independent actuarial report estimated the economic value of the MMI Fund to be
negative $16.3 billion in FY2012. The MMI Fund included about $1.1 trillion in insured
mortgages at the end of FY2012. The capital ratio, therefore, was estimated to be negative 1.44%
(negative $16.3 billion divided by $1.1 trillion). This is the first time that the economic value of
the MMI Fund, and by extension the capital ratio, has been negative since the capital ratio
requirement was first met.
A negative capital ratio signals a negative economic value of the MMI Fund. As described earlier,
a negative economic value indicates that the MMI Fund does not currently have enough capital
resources on hand to cover the losses it expects to incur over the life of the loans that it currently
insures. This suggests that the MMI Fund could at some point need to draw on its permanent and
indefinite budget authority with Treasury in order to have enough funds on hand to cover all of its
future expected losses. It does not mean that the MMI Fund has run out of money at this point in
time.
A negative capital ratio by itself does not trigger any special assistance from Treasury, although it
suggests that such assistance could be needed at some point. Rather, any special assistance from
Treasury would be triggered if the credit subsidy rate re-estimate process described in the “Credit
Subsidy Rate Re-estimates” section showed that FHA needed more funds than it had on hand to
hold against expected losses on the loans that it currently insures. The amount of special
assistance required would be based on the credit subsidy rate re-estimates, not on the capital ratio
or the economic value of the MMI Fund as reported in the actuarial report.
Table 5 shows the MMI Fund’s actuarial position, including its economic value, dollar volume of
insured mortgages, and capital ratio, as estimated by the independent actuaries for each fiscal year
between FY2006 and FY2012.
97 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Report to Congress Regarding the Financial Status of
the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, FY2009, November 12, 2009, p. 17, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/
huddoc?id=fhammifannrptfy2009.pdf. This capital ratio uses amortized insurance-in-force, as generally understood, as
the denominator of the ratio.
98 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, “The FHA
Single-Family Insurance Program: Performing a Needed Role in the Housing Finance Market,” Executive Summary, p.
3, http://www.huduser.org/publications/pdf/FHA_SingleFamilyIns_2012.pdf. The discussion of the history of FHA
notes that the capital ratio requirement of 2% was first reached in FY1995.
Congressional Research Service
38
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
Table 5. MMI Fund’s Actuarial Position, FY2006-FY2012
$ in millions
Dollar Volume
Capital Ratio
Capital
PV of Future
Economic
of Insured
Resources
Cash Flows
Value
Mortgages
FY2006 $23,461
-$1,440
$22,021 $298,542
7.38%
FY2007 $25,365
-$3,952
$21,277 $305,449
6.97%
FY2008 $27,281
-$14,374
$12,908 $401,461
3.22%
FY2009 $30,719
-$27,078
$3,641 $684,708
0.53%
FY2010 $33,594
-$28,937
$4,657 $931,272
0.50%
FY2011 $32,431
-$29,880
$2,551 $1,078,000
0.24%
FY2012 $30,362
-$46,638 -$16,277
$1,131,543
-1.44%
Source: FHA’s Annual Reports to Congress on the Financial Status of the MMI Fund
Notes: Figures are based on the base case scenario reported in the actuarial reports. FHA-insured reverse
mortgages became part of the MMI Fund in FY2009.
The drop in the capital ratio in recent years is the result of both a decrease in the numerator of the
ratio (the MMI Fund’s economic value) and an increase in the denominator of the ratio (total
dollar volume of mortgages outstanding), which reflects the fact that FHA is insuring a greater
volume of loans than it has in the recent past. The decrease in the MMI Fund’s economic value, in
turn, is mostly due to the fact that the present value of future cash flows has been increasingly
negative, suggesting that FHA is currently expecting large net cash outflows over the life of the
loans that it currently insures.
Projections of the MMI Fund’s Future Financial Position
In addition to estimating the MMI Fund’s current economic value, the actuarial review also
estimates the MMI Fund’s projected economic value and capital ratio for several years into the
future. (While the estimates of the MMI Fund’s current actuarial position assume that FHA will
not insure any more loans in the future, estimates of the MMI Fund’s future value do take into
account the amount that mortgages insured in the future are expected to earn or lose for the MMI
Fund.) Based on the independent actuarial report, FHA estimates that, under its base case
scenario, the MMI Fund is projected to regain a positive capital ratio in FY2014, and to regain a
capital ratio of 2% in FY2017.99 However, as noted earlier, such estimates rely on a number of
assumptions. If these assumptions are not realized—for example, if house prices are lower than
expected, or if more recent loans insured by FHA do not perform as well as anticipated—then it
could take several more years before the capital ratio regains a level of 2.0%.
Table 6 shows the projections of the capital ratio in each year from FY2013 through FY2019
under the base case scenario, based on the actuarial report. It also shows the projected economic
value (the numerator of the capital ratio) and the projected dollar amount of outstanding insurance
(the denominator of the capital ratio) in each of those years. The FY2012 actuarial report
99 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Annual Report to Congress on the Financial Status FHA
Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, Fiscal Year 2012, November 16, 2012, pp. 36, http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/
documents/huddoc?id=F12MMIFundRepCong111612.pdf.
Congressional Research Service
39
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
estimates that, under the base case scenario, the MMI Fund’s economic value will increase over
each of the next several years, reaching nearly $54 billion by FY2019. However, these estimates
are less favorable than those in the FY2011 actuarial review, which had suggested that the MMI
Fund could have economic values of positive $11.5 billion in FY2012, $27.7 billion in FY2013,
and almost $70 billion by FY2018. The corresponding capital ratio estimates in the FY2011
actuarial review were 1% in FY2012, 1.56% in FY2013, and 4% in FY2018. The FY2011
actuarial review had anticipated that the MMI Fund would regain a capital ratio of 2% in FY2014
under the base case scenario assumptions.
Table 6. Projections of MMI Fund Capital Ratio in the Future, FY2012-FY2019
$ in millions
Dollar Volume of Insured
Economic
Value Mortgages
Capital Ratio
FY2012
-$16, 300
$1,131,000
-1.4%
FY2013
-$5,300
$1,230,000
-0.4%
FY2014
$2,000
$1,291,000
0.2%
FY2015
$9,700
$1,314,000
0.7%
FY2016
$19,700
$1,352,000
1.5%
FY2017
$30,700
$1,401,000
2.2%
FY2018
$42,000
$1,441,000
2.9%
FY2019 $53,900
$1,467,000
3.7%
Source: FHA Annual Report to Congress on the Financial Status of the MMI Fund, FY2012, p. 36.
Notes: Figures are based on the base case scenario reported in the actuarial reports.
Estimates of the Fund’s economic value in future years largely rely on estimates of the economic
value of the cohorts of loans expected to be insured in future years. For example, the estimate of
the MMI Fund’s economic value in FY2018 includes estimates of the economic value of the loans
that are expected to be insured in each fiscal year from FY2013 to FY2019. The actuarial report
projects that the cohorts of traditional single-family loans (excluding reverse mortgages) insured
in each of those fiscal years will have positive economic values ranging between about $6.8 (in
FY2014) billion and $10.9 billion (in FY2013).100 The actuarial review attributes this largely to
fewer FHA-insured loans refinancing out of FHA mortgages to conventional mortgages as
interest rates begin to rise, and FHA continuing to insure high dollar volumes of new loans each
year.101 Loans insured in recent or future years could also potentially perform better due to better
credit quality of newly insured mortgages, higher insurance premiums, and the end of seller-
funded downpayment assistance loans.
The independent actuaries estimate that the traditional single-family loans insured by FHA in
FY2013 will have an economic value of nearly $11 billion. If this estimate is accurate, then that
100 Integrated Financial Engineering, Inc., prepared for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
Actuarial Review of the Federal Housing Administration Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund Forward Loans for Fiscal
Year 2012, November 5, 2012, p. 36, available at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?mode=dispcontent&id=
HSG_ACTRMENU_10941&type=HUDGOV_HTML&rsm=Latest&width=664.
101 Ibid., p. 16.
Congressional Research Service
40
FHA Single-Family Mortgage Insurance: Financial Status and Related Current Issues
could help reduce the likelihood that FHA will need to draw funds from Treasury to cover higher
expected future losses. If the assumptions of the actuaries turn out to be incorrect, however, and
the economic value of new loans insured by FHA is lower than expected, then FHA would have a
higher likelihood of needing to draw funds from Treasury at some point. The economic value of
loans insured in future years could be lower than estimated for several reasons. For example, if
FHA insures a lower volume of loans than anticipated, it could bring in less premium revenue
than it currently expects. If the credit quality of the loans is not as good as anticipated, then
default rates would likely be higher than expected, and the economic value would be lower. If
interest rates or house prices follow substantially different paths than those expected under the
base case scenario, then mortgages insured going forward might not bring in as much premium
revenue as expected or might result in more claim losses than currently anticipated.
Author Contact Information
Katie Jones
Analyst in Housing Policy
kmjones@crs.loc.gov, 7-4162
Congressional Research Service
41