The FHA’s Title I manufactured home lending program was an important source of financing for manufactured home buyers until the early 1990s. Recently, Ginnie Mae and the Federal Housing Administration published a joint request for input seeking stakeholder comments on improving the program, specifically improving access to personal property loans for low- and moderate-income households. Title I loan volumes have been declining for almost four decades. Annual originations ranged from 15,000 to 25,000 loans during the mid-1980s and early 1990s. The wave of defaults and repossessions after the mid-1990s led to a drastic reduction in lending, which fell to 1,572 loans in 2008 and to just 3 loans in 2021. This brief examines why program volumes have struggled, and it provides recommendations on how to address these issues. The drastic worsening of affordability for site-built homes and the lower price point for manufactured homes have given policymakers incentives to make it easier for families to purchase and finance manufactured homes. It is essential to complete a fundamental review of all aspects of Title I to ensure it works in today’s market.
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