FHASecure Mortgages to Go Into Ginnie II MBS

Ginnie Mae has finally decided that the new Federal Housing Administration Secure mortgages should be placed into new multiple-issuer pools under the Ginnie Mae II mortgage-backed securities program.These special Ginnie II pools will consist of mortgages that are available to delinquent homeowners who want to refinance into a fixed-rate FHA loan. It will also include FHASecure loans in which a conventional borrower refinances into an FHA mortgage and the lender takes out a "silent" second mortgage to cover closing costs or reduce the principal amount to meet FHA requirements. Ginnie Mae officials have been wrestling with the issue of how to deal with new mortgages since President Bush announced the FHASecure program just before Labor Day. Bond traders opposed placing FHASecure mortgages in Ginnie I MBS or even putting them into a standard Ginnie Mae II pool and limiting them to 5% or 10% of the pool. Ginnie Mae said in a notice to MBS issuers that it would start guaranteeing FHASecure pools Dec. 1.