Many people dream of owning their own homes but only very few are able to pay cash for them. This is why FHA mortgages are one of popular methods to find a source for consumer credit. People who could not otherwise afford to own a house become homeowners with help of FHA mortgage insurance programs.
FHA is Federal Housing Administration. As part of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), one of chief purposes of FHA is to help people obtain financing for their homes.
How FHA Mortgage Insurance Works
As stated earlier, FHA mortgage is a way for homebuyers to obtain financing for their homes. All home purchases require buyers to make a certain set percentage of total purchase price, called down payment. What FHA mortgage insurance does therefore is to allow a homebuyer to make a modest down payment and obtain a mortgage for balance of purchase price.
The mortgage loan itself is made by a bank, a savings and loan association, a mortgage company, a credit union, or any other lender. For it to become an FHA mortgage loan, lender would have to be approved by Federal Housing Administration. FHA (HUD0 insures then insures loan and pays lender if borrower defaults on mortgage. The protection offered by FHA mortgages to lenders allows them to be more liberal with their terms than prospective homeowner might otherwise obtain.
Who can get an FHA Mortgage?