Author(s): Paul B. Manchester, Principal Economist, and Ian H. Keith, Senior Program Analyst
Abstract: The maximum loan amounts for mortgages eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (“the Enterprises”), after being temporarily increased in 2008, are scheduled to be reduced in 204 locations in 27 states and the District of Columbia as of October 1, 2011. This paper describes the reductions in the loan limits and presents information on the characteristics of mortgages which were eligible for purchase by the Enterprises in certain counties in 2009 and would have been eligible for purchase prior to October 1, 2011, but not eligible on or after that date. Specifically, the paper analyzes Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data on these “high conforming jumbo mortgages (HCJMs)” for 10 large metropolitan counties where the scheduled reductions in the limits are 10 percent or more.