In the face of rumors that its capital
reserve ratio is nearing the danger point, the head of the Federal Housing
Administration (FHA) says that his agency does not need help from Congress.
The Wall
Street Journal reported this morning that the agency, part of the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), might fall below the 2
percent capital reserve ratio demanded by Congress because of rising defaults
on mortgage loans it insured.
Responding to the Journal article,
FHA Commissioner David Stevens this morning said, "Even if that level
falls below 2 percent, FHA continues to hold more than $30 billion in its
reserves today, or more than 5 percent of its insurance in force. Given this
reserve level, FHA will not need a congressional subsidy even if the
congressional capital reserve calculation falls below 2 percent."
Mortgage loans insured by the government have soared to the highest levels
in two decades as borrowers have taken advantage of down payment requirements
for FHA loans which are lower than those for other mortgages.
In the
past two years, the number of loans insured by the FHA has soared and its
market share reached 23% in the second quarter, up from 2.7% in 2006.
FHA-backed loans outstanding totaled $429 billion in fiscal 2008, a number
projected to hit $627 billion this year.
At the
same time, defaults in FHA insured loans are depleting its reserves. According to the Journal, 7.8 percent of FHA loans were 90 days or more late or in
foreclosure. This is comparable to the
national average, but because of the low down payment requirement, sometimes as
low as 3.5 percent, a borrower is less likely to hang on and try to save his
home and FHA takes a bigger hit.
Should the reserve funds fall to
dangerous levels, the FHA could either raise the premiums that borrowers pay
for the agency guarantee or petition Congress for taxpayer funds to boost
agency reserves
"FHA's full faith and credit insurance means that there is no risk to
homeowners or bondholders independent of the congressional capital reserve
requirement," Stevens said, adding that FHA continued to generate income
for taxpayers.
Department
of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said in June,
"there's a better than even chance that we will stay above the two percent
reserve threshold. That suggests, not just for the 2010 business, but overall
for the portfolio, that we'll more than likely to stay out of a broader need
for any taxpayer funding."
According to the Journal, the only thing the agency is obligated to do is notify
Congress if it falls below capital requirement.
This could, however lead to a demand that FHA reduce its lending which
is credited with helping to improve house sales.
The FHA's mandated 2 percent reserve
means a minimum of $3 billion during the current fiscal year and $4 billion
next year. The agency's assets have
increased from $27 billion to around $31 billion in the past year. A recent audit put the value of the fund at
$12.9 billion last year or around 3 percent of all FHA backed loans.