On December 13, 2013, NAR President Steve Brown sent a letter to Charles Coulter, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Single Family Housing, concerning the draft FHA Single Family Handbook. NAR supports FHA’s effort to consolidate prior handbooks, Mortgagee Letters, and Housing Notices into a single document. The new handbook will be easier to understand and allow the industry to more effectively implement FHA policies. NAR raised concerns about several proposed policy changes in the draft that could further restrict credit for borrowers who are already paying record-high premiums and permanent mortgage insurance on FHA loans. The changes may negatively impact otherwise qualified borrowers, many of whom are low and moderate income families and first time homebuyers.
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