Improving FHA Support for Small-Dollar Mortgages Act of 2021

Bill: 117-s-2131
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2021-06-17
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Government studies and investigations

Housing finance and home ownership

Housing supply and affordability
Latest action: action_date: 2021-06-24
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-06-17
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Improving FHA Support for Small-Dollar Mortgages Act of 2021</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to report on barriers to making Federal Housing Administration (FHA) single-family mortgage insurance available for mortgages under $100,000. Specifically, HUD must report on&nbsp;policies, practices, and products used by the FHA and actions that will be taken to remove such barriers.</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2131 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 17, 2021 Mr. Tester (for himself and Ms. Lummis ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs A BILL To require a review of the effects of FHA mortgage insurance policies, practices, and products on small-dollar mortgage lending, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Improving FHA Support for Small-Dollar Mortgages Act of 2021 . 2. Review of FHA small-dollar mortgage practices (a) Congressional findings The Congress finds that— (1) affordable homeownership opportunities are being hindered due to the lack of financing available for home purchases under $100,000; (2) according to the Urban Institute, small-dollar mortgage loan applications in 2019 were significantly more likely to be denied by lenders than large mortgage loans, and this difference in denial rates cannot be fully explained by differences in the applicants’ credit profiles; (3) according to data compiled by Attom Data solutions, mortgage originations for loans of $70,000 or less have decreased 38 percent since 2009, while there has been a 65-percent increase in origination of mortgages for more than $150,000; (4) the mission of the Federal Housing Administration (referred to in this section as the FHA ) is to serve creditworthy borrowers who are underserved and disproportionately serve borrowers with lower incomes, but, according to the Urban Institute, the FHA serves a smaller share of borrowers seeking small-dollar mortgage loans than borrowers seeking larger loans at every income level; and (5) the causes behind these variations are not fully understood but merit study that could assist in furthering the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mission, including meeting the housing needs of borrowers the program is designed to serve and reducing barriers to homeownership, while protecting the solvency of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. (b) Review The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (referred to in this section as the Secretary ) shall conduct a review of its FHA single-family mortgage insurance policies, practices, and products to identify any barriers or impediments to supporting, facilitating, and making available mortgage insurance for mortgages having an original principal obligation of $100,000 or less. Not later than the expiration of the 12-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Congress describing the findings of such review and the actions that the Secretary will take, without adversely affecting the solvency of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund.