Columbia Bank is an Approved FHA Mortgage Lender

Columbia Bank announced that it has begun accepting applications for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Residential Mortgage Loans within New Jersey.

As an approved FHA lender, Columbia Bank has been granted the authority to offer qualified homebuyers the opportunity to purchase a home with a low down-payment, low closing costs and more flexible credit guidelines. Columbia’s FHA Mortgage Loans are specifically designed for borrowers who would not normally qualify for conventional home mortgage programs, including…

* First-time homebuyers with limited down payment funds and/or having less than perfect credit.
* Existing homeowners wanting to refinance their current mortgage having only limited home equity.
* Homebuyers who would benefit from allowable seller concessions of up to 6% of the sales price.
* Homebuyers who do not meet the two month reserve requirement.
* Homebuyers requiring fixed monthly payments that will not increase.

Maximum FHA loan amounts are based on number of units (one to four-families) and specific county location. Columbia’s FHA Mortgage Loan features include…

* Market competitive loan rates with no prepayment penalties.
* Lower down payment requirement, as low as 3.5% of the home purchase price.
* No two month reserve requirement.
* More leniency on credit issues, such as bankruptcy, collections and judgments.
* The ability to refinance a maximum of 95% of the equity in the home.

Since 1934, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), a U.S. government agency, has made home buying easier for millions of households. Although the FHA does not physically issue home mortgages, it does underwrite mortgage insurance protection to substantially reduce the bank’s risk of loan defaults and foreclosures. Today, the FHA is the largest insurer of home mortgages in the world.

With current assets of more than $4.5 billion, Columbia Bank is the third largest mutual banking institution in the United States. Columbia operates 43 offices in ten counties statewide. The Bank underwrites residential mortgages within the state of New Jersey only.