The Federal Housing Administration announced Thursday that nearly every area of the U.S. will see FHA loan limits increase in 2018.
The new loan limits will take effect for FHA case numbers assigned on or after Jan. 1, 2018.
FHA is required by the National Housing Act, as amended by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, to set Single Family forward loan limits at 115% of median house prices, subject to a floor and a ceiling on the limits. FHA calculates forward mortgage limits by Metropolitan Statistical Area and county.
Back in 2016, the FHA increased loan limits for just 188 counties. Then, in 2017, this number jumped to 2,948 counties that saw an increase. And now, the number of counties increased even further to 3,011 counties for 2018.
In high-cost areas, the FHA’s loan limit ceiling will increase to $679,650, up from $636,150 this year. The floor will also increase from $275,665 to $294,515 in 2018.
However, in 223 counties, the FHA loan limits will remain the same.
The National Mortgage Limit for FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgages, or reverse mortgages, will also increase, rising from $636,150 to $679,650. Currently, the FHA regulations implementing the National Housing Act’s HECM limits do not allow loan limits for reverse mortgages to vary by MSA or county; instead, the single limit applies to all mortgages regardless of where the property is located.
The FHA’s minimum national loan limit, or floor, is currently set at 65% of the national conforming loan limit of $453,100. This floor applies to those areas where 115% of the median home price is less than the floor limit. Any areas where the loan limit exceeds this floor is considered a high-cost area, and HERA requires FHA to set its maximum loan limit ceiling for high-cost areas at 150% of the national conforming limit.
Click here for a complete list of FHA loan limits.
The news follows Federal Housing Finance Agency’s recent announcement that it plans to increase the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages to be acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2018.
