by Michael Dey | Dec 1, 2015 | Uncategorized
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2016 will remain at $417,000 for one-unit properties in South Carolina. That amount is the conforming loan limit for the majority of the county. The loan limits are established under the terms of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) and are calculated each year.
HERA sets maximum loan limits as a function of median home values. In 39 high-cost counties, loan limits will rise because those counties experienced increases in local home values. These metro areas include several west-coast counties as well as Boston, Denver, and Nashville.
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) established the baseline loan limit at $417,000 and mandated that after a period of price declines, the baseline loan limit cannot rise again until home prices return to pre-decline levels. The $417,000 loan limit will stay the same for 2016 because FHFA has determined that the average U.S. home value in the third quarter of this year remained below its level in the third quarter of 2007.
HERA provides for higher loan limits in high-cost counties by setting loan limits as a function of area median home value. Although the baseline loan limit will be unchanged in most of the country, 39 specific high-cost counties in which home values increased over the last year will see the maximum conforming loan limit for 2016 adjusted upward.
Although other counties also experienced home value increases in 2015, after other elements of the HERA formula — such as the statutory ceiling and floor on limits — were accounted for, these local-area limits were left unchanged.
A list of the 2016 maximum conforming loan limits for all counties and county-equivalent areas in the country can be found here.
by Michael Dey | Dec 2, 2014 | Uncategorized
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2015 will remain at $417,000 for one-unit properties in South Carolina. That amount is the conforming loan limit for the majority of the county. The loan limits are established under the terms of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) and are calculated each year.
HERA sets maximum loan limits as a function of median home values. In 46 counties loan limits will rise because those counties experienced increases in local home values. These metro areas include Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Nashville, Seattle and San Diego.
Although other counties experienced home value increases in 2014, after other elements of the HERA formula were accounted for the local-area limits were left unchanged.
A list of the 2015 maximum conforming loan limits for all counties and county-equivalent areas in the country can be found here.
by Michael Dey | Dec 4, 2013 | Uncategorized
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that the 2014 maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will remain at $417,000 for one-unit properties in most areas of the country.
The conforming loan limit in all markets in South Carolina is $417,000.
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) establishes the maximum conforming loan limit that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are permitted to set for mortgage acquisitions. HERA also requires annual adjustments to these limits to reflect changes in the national average home price.
A description of the methodology used in determining the loan limits can be found in the attached addendum. Questions concerning the conforming loan limits can be addressed to LoanLimitQuestions@FHFA.gov.
Further information on potential future changes in the maximum size of loans that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee will be forthcoming.
Link to maximum conforming loan limits for 2014.
by Michael Dey | Dec 12, 2012 | Uncategorized
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2013 will remain at existing levels. In most of the country, the loan limit will be $417,000 for one-unit properties. The loan limits are established under the terms of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), and are calculated each year.
In all counties in the Upstate the loan limit for single-family residences is $417,000, and $533,580 for duplexes.
The law sets loan limits as a function of median home values in local areas. While some counties saw increases in home prices in 2012, no loan limit increases were evident after other HERA terms such as the statutory ceiling and floor were taken into account.
A list of the 2013 maximum conforming loan limits for all counties and county-equivalent areas in the country can be found here. The maximum conforming loan limits for one-unit properties, which generally have applied to loans originated since October 1, 2011, are $417,000 in most locations, but are as high as $625,500 in certain high-cost areas in the contiguous United States.
For loans originated prior to October 2011, the maximum loan limit was as high as $729,750 in the contiguous U.S. That higher “ceiling” limit was permitted under legislation that is not
applicable to loans originated in 2013.
by Michael Dey | Dec 1, 2011 | Uncategorized
In an important victory for NAHB, the housing industry, and consumers, Congress voted to reinstate for another two years the higher conforming loan limits for the Federal Housing Administration that expired on Sept. 30. President Obama signed the measure into law on Nov. 18.
NAHB has led the industry charge to restore the higher loan limits, which is essential to help mend the struggling housing market, stabilize home values, provide constancy while private investors re-enter the market and ensure that millions of creditworthy home borrowers can access the best possible mortgage rates.
In the days and weeks leading up to the vote, NAHB launched a major grassroots push, urging our members to call, email and meet with their lawmakers on this issue. Your HBA of Greenville supported these efforts by holding meetings with Congressman Trey Gowdy and Jeff Duncan.
Greenville, Pickens, and Laurens counties were particularly impacted by the reduction in the conforming loan limits. In those counties the limits were reduced by nearly $25,000, while the limits remained the same in the rest of the Upstate. With this victory, the original loan limits have been restored.
