The maximum conforming loan limits will remain the same for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the firms’ conservator said Thursday.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency said the maximum loan limit for one-unit properties will remain at $417,000, but can still run as high as $625,500 when the property resides in one of the designated high-cost areas.
For loans originated before Oct. 2011, the maximum loan limit will remain as high as $729,750. That particular ceiling was created under older legislation that will have no impact on mortgages originated in 2013.
Last year, President Obama signed a law reinstalling higher conforming loan limits for the Federal Housing Administration through the end of 2013. That particular piece of legislation allowed the FHA to insure loans up to $729,750 in the nation’s most expensive neighborhoods.
The decision at the time caused some opponents to suggest the higher loan limits go against the Treasury’s stated intent of bringing back private capital while phasing out the government-backed housing system.
Two lawmakers — John Campbell, R-Calif., and Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y. — introduced the bill that extended the conforming loan limit for government-insured mortgages.
