Upside Down Mortgage Policy

A new federal housing rule will make reliable borrowers subsidize risky loans.

Addressing the NYSE, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rejected President Biden's push for further debt, outlining a 3-point fiscal path that 'limits, saves and grows.' Images: Bloomberg News Composite: Mark Kelly

Income redistribution is an abiding value of the Biden Administration, and now it wants to spread that to mortgage lending. A new rule will raise mortgage fees for borrowers with good credit to subsidize higher-risk borrowers.

Under the rule, which goes into effect May 1, home buyers with a good credit score over 680 will pay about $40 more each month on a $400,000 loan, and upward depending on the size of the loan. Those who make down payments of 20% on their homes will pay the highest fees. Those payments will then be used to subsidize higher-risk borrowers though lower fees.

Opinion

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