Federal Housing Finance Agency

The national conforming loan limit for mortgages that finance single-family one-unit properties increased from $33,000 in the early 1970s to $417,000 for 2006-2008, with limits 50 percent higher for four statutorily-designated high cost areas: Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since 2008, various legislative acts increased the loan limits in certain high-cost areas in the United States. While some of the legislative initiatives established temporary limits for loans originated in select time periods, a permanent formula was established under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA). The 2016 loan limits have been set under the HERA formula.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are restricted by law to purchasing single-family mortgages with origination balances below a specific amount, known as the “conforming loan limit.” Loans above this limit are known as jumbo loans. The national conforming loan limit for mortgages that finance single-family one-unit properties increased from $33,000 in the early 1970s to $417,000 for 2006-2008, with limits 50 percent higher for four statutorily-designated high cost areas: Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since 2008, various legislative acts increased the loan limits in certain high-cost areas in the United States. While some of the legislative initiatives established temporary limits for loans originated in select time periods, a permanent formula was established under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA). The 2016 loan limits have been set under the HERA formula

The Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system was created by the Federal Home Loan Bank Act of 1932 as a government sponsored enterprise to support mortgage lending and related community investment. It is composed of 12 FHLBanks, more than 8000 member financial institutions, and the System's fiscal agent, the Office of Finance. Each FHLBank is a separate, government-chartered, member-owned corporation. The Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLB) members include thrift institutions, commercial banks, credit unions, and insurance companies. A financial institution joins the FHLBank district that serves the state where the institution's home office or principal place of business is located. A financial institution may become a member by meeting certain statutory requirements. Last Source Update File:  Federal Home Loan Membership Data, 2017 1st Quarter (31st March 2017)

Residential Mortgage Debt Outstanding—Enterprise ShareTotal mortgages held or securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a Percentage of Residential Mortgage Debt Outstanding Note: Currently, FHFA does not have any plans to update this dataset through more recent periods.Single-Family Mortgages Originated and Outstanding Statistics for conventional and government-insured or -guaranteed loans and, within each of those sectors, for fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages. Conventional loans are also divided into jumbo and non-jumbo loans. Note: Currently, FHFA does not have any plans to update this dataset through more recent periods.​  

The HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancing's on the same properties. This information is obtained by reviewing repeat mortgage transactions on single-family properties whose mortgages have been purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac since January 1975.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) previously released this data annually through the Public Use Database (PUDB) in compliance with Section 1323 of the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (Safety and Soundness Act), as amended, based on loan-level data submitted to HUD by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. HUD’s mission regulatory authority with regard to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with the exception of matters pertaining to fair housing/lending, was transferred from HUD to FHFA by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), which was enacted in July 2008.

The survey provides monthly information on interest rates, loan terms, and house prices by property type (all, new, previously occupied), by loan type (fixed- or adjustable-rate), and by lender type (savings associations, mortgage companies, commercial banks, and savings banks), as well as information on 15-year and​​​ 30-year fixed-rate loans. In addition, the survey provides quarterly information on conventional loans by major metropolitan area and by Federal Home Loan Bank district.