What Are FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums? Before the Federal Housing Administration was founded , in order to qualify to buy a house, mortgage applicants had to have excellent credit and a large down payment. This made it harder for people to buy homes, so the FHA was established to make this process easier for first-time homebuyers . The FHA does not actually give loans they just insure them. Mortgage insurance is a policy that protects your lender in case you default on your loan. It allows lenders to make higher-risk loans without worrying about losing money. You pay the premiums for that insurance policy as a part of your agreement with the loan. Mortgage Insurance Rates If your loan was $625,000 or less and you got a thirty-year fixed-rate mortgage and you paid less than 5 percent on a down payment, you’ll have an annual mortgage insurance premium of 0.85 percent of your loan. If you put down more than 5 but less than 10 percent, you’ll pay 0.8 percent for the...
