About the Federal Housing Administration
What
is the Federal Housing Administration?
The
Federal Housing Administration, generally known as "FHA",
provides mortgage insurance on loans made by FHA-approved
lenders throughout the United States and its territories.
FHA insures mortgages on single family, multifamily, manufactured
homes and hospitals. It is the largest insurer of mortgages
in the world; insuring over 34 million properties since
its inception in 1934.
What
is FHA Mortgage Insurance?
FHA
mortgage insurance protects lenders against loss if the
homeowner defaults on their mortgage loan. The lenders bear
less risk because FHA will pay the lender if a homeowner
defaults on their loan. Loans must meet certain requirements
established by FHA to qualify for insurance.
Why
does FHA Mortgage Insurance exist?
Unlike
conventional loans, FHA-insured loans require small down
payments. There is more flexibility in an FHA loan than
conventional loans in calculating household income and payment
ratios. The cost of the mortgage insurance is passed along
to the homeowner and typically is included in the monthly
payment. In most cases, the insurance cost will drop off
after five years or when the remaining balance on the loan
is 78 percent of the value of the property-whichever is
longer.
How
is FHA funded?
FHA
operates entirely from self-generated income and costs the
taxpayers nothing. The proceeds from the mortgage insurance
paid by the homeowners are captured in an account that is
used to operate the program entirely. FHA provides a huge
economic stimulation to the country in the form of home
and community development, which trickles down to local
communities in the form of jobs, building suppliers, tax
bases, schools, and other forms of revenue.
History
of the Federal Housing Administration - (Top)
Congress
created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) in 1934.
The FHA became a part of the Department of Housing and Urban
Development's (HUD) Office of Housing in 1965.
When
the FHA was created, the housing industry was flat on its
back:
- Two
million construction workers had lost their jobs.
- Terms
were difficult to meet for homebuyers seeking mortgages.
- Mortgage
loan terms were limited to 50 percent of the property's
market value, with a repayment schedule spread over three
to five years and ending with a balloon payment.
- America
was primarily a nation of renters. Only four in 10 households
owned homes.
During
the 1940s, FHA programs helped finance military housing
and homes for returning veterans and their families after
the war.
In
the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the FHA helped to spark the
production of millions of units of privately-owned apartments
for elderly, handicapped and lower income Americans. When
soaring inflation and energy costs threatened the survival
of thousands of private apartment buildings in the 1970s,
FHA's emergency financing kept cash-strapped properties
afloat.
The
FHA moved in to steady falling home prices and made it possible
for potential homebuyers to get the financing they needed
when recession prompted private mortgage insurers to pull
out of oil producing states in the 1980s.
By
2001, the nation's homeownership rate had soared to an all
time high of 68.1 percent.
The
FHA has insured over 34 million home mortgages and 47,205
multifamily project mortgages since 1934. FHA currently
has 4.8 million insured single family mortgages and 13,000
insured multifamily projects in its portfolio.
In
the more than 60 years since the FHA was created, much has
changed and Americans are now arguably the best housed people
in the world. FHA has helped greatly with that success.
Profile
of Top Leadership - (Top)
The
following are FHA's top managerial staff:
Brian
D. Montgomery - Assistant Secretary for Housing - Federal
Housing Commissioner
Frank
L. Davis - General Deputy Assistant Secretary-Deputy
Federal Housing Commissioner
Ronald
Y. Spraker - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance
and Budget
Craig
T. Clemmensen - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing
Operations
John
Garvin - Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily
Housing
Phillip
Murray - Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Single
Family Housing
Ted
Toon - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Affordable Housing
Preservation
Gary
M. Cunningham - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory
Affairs and Manufactured Housing
Roger
Miller - Director for Insured Health Care Facilities
Brian
D. Montgomery - (Top)
The
Honorable Brian D. Montgomery Assistant Secretary For Housing
- Federal Housing Commissioner
As Assistant
Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner, Brian
D. Montgomery is responsible for overseeing the $400 billion
Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insurance portfolio.
In addition, he oversees HUD's regulatory responsibilities
in the areas of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act
(RESPA), the housing mission of Government Sponsored Enterprises
(GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the manufactured
housing industry.
Mr.
Montgomery came to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development from the Executive Office of the President,
where he served as Deputy Assistant to the President and
Cabinet Secretary from January 2003 until April 2005. While
serving in the White House, Mr. Montgomery contributed to
the policy process on a wide range of issues including the
Administration's efforts to boost homeownership, increase
access to affordable housing, and to reform both RESPA and
the GSEs. Mr. Montgomery also served as Deputy Assistant
to the President and Director of Advance from January 2001
until January 2003.
Following
the Shuttle Columbia accident in February 2003, Mr. Montgomery
headed up a White House working group to monitor all facets
of the accident investigation. This ultimately led to the
process that developed the President's vision for space
exploration. For this effort, Mr. Montgomery was awarded
the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in June 2004.
Since
his Senate confirmation in June 2005, one of Mr. Montgomery's
primary initiatives has been the creation and promotion
of a bill designed to modernize FHA. The Modernization Bill,
which passed the House of Representatives in July 2006,
is primarily focused on increasing borrower flexibility
through both policy and programmatic changes. Included among
them are increased loan limits, updated down payment assistance
options, and a risk-based premium structure. The goal of
Mr. Montgomery's bill is to provide low and moderate-income
borrowers a safe homeownership option at a fair price.
Another
one of Mr. Montgomery's priorities while at HUD has been
the preservation of affordable multifamily rental housing,
achieved primarily through mortgage insurance as well as
flexible refinancing options. During Mr. Montgomery's tenure,
HUD has gone to great lengths to get legislation passed
in the House of Representatives that will preserve more
than 900 apartment complexes, allowing for 87,000 additional
units of affordable housing.
Mr.
Montgomery's time at HUD has also been marked by extensive
work with Hurricane Katrina disaster victims. He chaired
HUD's Hurricane Recovery and Response Center at Headquarters
and helped coordinate and secure temporary and long-term
housing for displaced persons.
Frank
L. Davis - (Top)
General
Deputy Assistant Secretary-Deputy Federal Housing Commissioner
Frank
L. Davis is the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing-Deputy
Federal Housing Commissioner, at the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development. He is responsible for managing
Housing's day-to-day operations. He and the Assistant Secretary
for Housing set policy and oversee management of Housing's
multibillion-dollar mortgage insurance operations portfolio,
its financial and grants management programs and its regulatory
oversight responsibilities.
Previously,
Mr. Davis was Director of Departmental Operations and Coordination,
and assisted the HUD Deputy Secretary in his role as Chief
Operating Officer of the Department, by providing a broad
range of management services, strategic planning and policy
coordination. Throughout his extensive federal career, Mr.
Davis has held a variety of senior executive-level positions
including: Acting Regional Administrator, Director of Community
Planning and Development's Field Operations, Deputy Director
of Block Grants Assistance, Director of the HUD Field Reorganization
Task Force, and Director of Personnel. He began his federal
service career as a HUD Urban Intern in 1967.
Mr.
Davis is a native of Atlantic City, New Jersey, and a graduate
of Rutgers University. Mr. Davis has done post-graduate
work at Howard University; and is a graduate of the Senior
Managers in Government Program at Harvard University. Mr.
Davis is the father of three daughters.
Ronald
Y. Spraker - (Top)
Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Finance and Budget
Craig
T. Clemmensen - (Top)
Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Housing Operations
John
Garvin - (Top)
Acting
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing
Biography
coming soon.
Phillip
Murray - (Top)
Acting
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Single Family Housing
Gary
M. Cunningham - (Top)
Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Regulatory Affairs and Manufactured
Housing
Gary
M. Cunningham has been the Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Regulatory Affairs and Manufactured Housing since April
2004. The office has responsibility for enforcement of the
Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Interstate
Land Sales Act, and administration of HUD's Manufactured
Housing Program.
Mr.
Cunningham came to HUD from the Department of Justice where
he was Special Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General
for the Office of Legal Policy from January 2003 through
April 2004. The Office of Legal Policy plans, develops,
and coordinates the implementation of major policy initiatives
of high priority to the Attorney General and the Administration,
and assists the Attorney General and the White House in
the selection and confirmation of federal judges appointed
by the President. Mr. Cunningham worked particularly on
the selection and vetting of judicial nominees, and on the
development and enactment of policy initiatives primarily
in the area of civil justice reform, including class action
and medical malpractice reform.
For
much of his career, Mr. Cunningham was an attorney in private
law practice in St. Louis specializing in real estate, finance,
construction and corporate law. While in private practice,
he was the General Counsel and chief legal advisor from
1990-1994 for the development, financing, and construction
of the $300 million domed stadium and convention center
in St. Louis that is now the home of the St. Louis Rams.
The project was completed on time and within budget.
Mr.
Cunningham was Senior Vice President and General Counsel
and Vice President for Corporate Development, for the $2
billion parent company of United Van Lines, Mayflower Transit
and other subsidiary companies involved in global moving,
transportation, relocation, insurance and equipment leasing
from 1994-2000.
From
2000 - 2002, he was Vice President and General Counsel responsible
for the legal affairs related to the corporate, financing,
real estate, and development and construction activities
of HBE Corporation in St. Louis. HBE was a 10,000-employee
national design/build construction and development company,
which also owned and operated 24 Adams Mark Hotels and Resorts
in 14 states.
Mr.
Cunningham graduated from the University of Michigan with
a B.A. in Economics in 1966, where he was the Student Body
President. He received a law degree from The George Washington
University in 1969. He was the Administrative Assistant
to a U.S. Congressman, and in 1969, was a member of the
White House staff. Mr. Cunningham served in U.S. military
intelligence from 1970-1971, and was awarded a Bronze Star
for service in Vietnam.
Mr.
Cunningham is married to Jane Cunningham, a Missouri State
Representative and Chair of the Missouri House Education
Committee. The couple has two sons: Bret, who is with Dell
Computer Corporation; and Scott, a junior at the University
of Texas at Austin.
Ted
Toon - (Top)
Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Affordable Housing Preservation
Ted
Toon is Deputy Assistant Secretary, and Director of the
Office of Affordable Housing Preservation (OAHP). OAHP has
responsibility for administration of the Mark-to-Market
program, and Ted oversees all aspects of program implementation.
Prior to joining HUD in February of 2001, Ted was Vice President
of ACG Professionals, an Atlanta-based consulting firm specializing
in financial analysis, due diligence and underwriting services
to the commercial real estate industry. He holds undergraduate
degrees in Business and Architecture from the University
of Colorado, Boulder, and earned a Master of Real Estate
from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Roger
Miller - (Top)
Director,
Office of Insured Healthcare Facilities
Roger
E. Miller has been the Acting Director of Office of Insured
Health Care Facilities at the Department of Housing and
Urban Development since December 2004. The Office supports
the affordable financing of hospital projects by reducing
the cost of capital, thereby improving access to quality
and cost effective healthcare.
Throughout
his career, Mr. Miller has devoted his energies to improving
healthcare in this country. For the past 15 years, he has
helped hospitals that come to the Federal government for
mortgage insurance, which in turn allows them to get lower
interest rates on loans for modernization. If hospitals
pay less in interest, patients pay less for care. His empathy
for the needs of hospitals and patients comes from over
20 years experience in hospital administration.
As the
Chief Operating Officer of a large teaching hospital, the
patient care costs and lengths of stay were among the lowest
in the United States. Some of that time he represented and
addressed the needs of physician staff, which in time led
him to found a physician consulting practice.
Mr.
Miller originated one of the nation's first cogeneration
systems during a time of oil shortage to make the hospital
less dependent on costly foreign oil and to reduce the costs
of electricity and heat. Concerned about making affordable
health insurance available to more people, he also helped
found a Preferred Provider insurance company. Troubled about
the unmet healthcare needs of minorities in the community,
Mr. Miller worked to establish a system of community health
centers and served as its Board Chairman. He also participated
in launching an assisted living facility in Staten Island,
New York, and continued as a board member. Mr. Miller has
chaired committees in the Pennsylvania Hospital Association
on comparative hospital performance data and on continuing
education. As a lecturer in China, he addressed health care
and management issues. He has spoken on cost-cutting strategies
at health care forums on the regional and national levels
and has served on the adjunct faculty for York College.
Mr.
Miller began his focus on health care in the military's
Medical Service Corps, which he joined following graduation
from Dickinson College. Following Army service, he prepared
himself for his life's work by getting a Masters in Hospital
Administration from the University of Minnesota. He is a
Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Mr. Miller and his wife Ellen have one adult son.
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