B5-1-01, High-Balance Mortgage Loan Eligibility and Underwriting (08/05/2020)

The high-balance loan requirements apply to mortgage loans with original loan amounts meeting the high-cost area loan limits established by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Fannie Mae publishes on its website the maximum high-cost area loan limits that may apply by state (or territory); however, specific loan limits are established for each county (or equivalent) and may be lower for each specific high-cost area. Refer to Loan Limits for Conventional Mortgages for additional information, including the loan limits for each area.

Lenders are responsible for ensuring that the original principal balance of each mortgage loan does not exceed the applicable maximum loan limit for the specific area in which the property is located. To assist lenders in determining the applicable limits, Fannie Mae posts reference material on its website, including the Loan Limit Geocoder, which lenders can use to look up loan limits based on a specific address (or batch of addresses).

High-balance mortgage loans must meet all standard Fannie Mae eligibility and underwriting requirements, as outlined in this Selling Guide, except as noted in this section. The following guidelines apply to all high-balance mortgage loans:

• Loans must be conventional first-lien mortgages only.

• Loans must meet the LTV, CLTV, and HCLTV ratios as outlined in the Eligibility Matrix.

• All borrowers must have a credit score.

• All loans must be underwritten through DU.

For additional eligibility information, see the Eligibility Matrix. For information about loan delivery, see B5-1-02, High-Balance Pricing, Mortgage Insurance, Special Feature Codes, and Delivery LimitationsB5-1-02, High-Balance Pricing, Mortgage Insurance, Special Feature Codes, and Delivery Limitations.

Note: Unless otherwise notified by Fannie Mae, existing variances in the Lender Contract apply to high-balance mortgage loans; however, the more restrictive of the eligibility requirements of this section or the lender’s variance will apply.

High-balance mortgage loans are eligible for high LTV refinance options. The eligibility and appraisal requirements specific to high LTV refinance loans supersede all requirements that apply to high-balance mortgage loans. See B5-7-01, High LTV Refinance Loan and Borrower EligibilityB5-7-01, High LTV Refinance Loan and Borrower Eligibility for additional information.

For details, see B6-1-01, General Government Mortgage Loan RequirementsB6-1-01, General Government Mortgage Loan Requirements, B6-1-02, Eligible FHA-Insured Mortgage LoansB6-1-02, Eligible FHA-Insured Mortgage Loans, B6-1-03, Eligible VA-Guaranteed MortgagesB6-1-03, Eligible VA-Guaranteed Mortgages, and B6-1-05, Eligible RD-Guaranteed MortgagesB6-1-05, Eligible RD-Guaranteed Mortgages.