2014 Conforming Loan Limits : Fannie Mac And Freddie Mac Set Loan Size Limits For Every U.S. County

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have set the conforming loan limits for 2014.

For the ninth consecutive year, 2014 conforming loan limits will remain at their current levels, a move which helps U.S. homeowners and buyers get access to inexpensive, government-backed home loans.

The loan limits are effective immediately and apply to conventional mortgages nationwide.

What Is A Loan Limit?

Loan limits are appropriately named. They are the maximum allowable loan size for a mortgage. Loan limits vary by product and region, and are included in a program's specific mortgage guidelines.

For example, the Federal Housing Administration enforces specific loan limits for FHA loans; and the Department of Veterans Affairs maintains specific loan limits for VA loans. Loans which exceed an FHA loan's local loan limit cannot be insured and loans exceeding a VA loans local limit cannot be guaranteed.

For conforming loans -- loans backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac -- loan limits have been unchanged since 2006 when the government moved to raise the national limit to $417,000.

Conforming loans which exceed a local loan limit are commonly known as "jumbo loans". Jumbo loans are typically not backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, and are offered by local and national banks.

Jumbo mortgage rates are sometimes higher and sometimes lower as compared to conforming ones. However, because jumbo loans are not government-backed, eligibility requirements are often more stringent.

There aren't many low-downpayment options in the jumbo mortgage market; and, income and credit score requirements are often higher for jumbo loans. This is why the decision to leave the 2014 conforming loan limits unchanged is an important one.

With conforming loan limits held at $417,000 for at least another year, homeowners using conventional programs to refinance -- such as HARP -- and buyers using Fannie Mae's 5% downpayment program to purchase can get access to the lowest mortgage rates possible at the largest loan size available.

Conforming Loan Limits For 2014

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced no change to the conforming loan limits for 2014.

In 2006, conforming loan limits were raised to $417,000. Loan limits were then held at that loan size between 2007-2013 despite rapidly falling home values nationwide.

At the time, officials defended the move by citing their want to make mortgage credit available to home buyers during a crucial stage of the housing market's recovery.

Reinforcing this point, in 2009, conforming loan limits were raised in certain "high-cost" areas nationwide; areas in which the median home sale price handily exceeded the national average.

The government has designated more than 208 high-cost areas nationwide including New York City, New York; Los Angeles, California; and the entire San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland metropolitan region.

No U.S. counties will experience a decline in conforming loan limits for 2014.

Several counties will benefit from an increase including five counties in Massachusetts, three counties in New York, and two counties in Virginia. Cities with new, elevated conforming loan limits for 2014 include Boston, Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, and Culpeper County, Virginia.

Garfield County, Colorado also received an increase, moving all the way to $625,500.

The baseline, non-high-cost conforming loan limits for 2014 are :

• 1-unit home : $417,000
• 2-unit home : $533,850
• 3-unit home : $645,300
• 4-unit home : $801,950

High-cost conforming loan limits range up to $625,000 for a one-unit home; $800,775 for a two-unit home; $967,950 for a three-unit; and $1,202,925 for a four-unit. In Hawaii, loan limits are even higher.

What If My Loan Is Over The Conforming Loan Limit?

Not everyone's mortgage will fit within the 2014 conforming loan limits.

The good news is that homeowners and home buyers whose loan size exceeds conforming loan limits can still get financed. There are several home loan options. One such option is to get an FHA-backed loan.

FHA loans are loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration and loan limits for FHA loans are often than for a comparable conventional loan. In high-cost areas, the FHA will insure a loan up to $729,750. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac place limits at just $625,500.

Plus, FHA loans allow for low downpayments of just 3.5 percent and the agency is often more flexible with its loan approvals than either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

Borrowers over the conforming loan limit can use VA loans, too.

VA loans are loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Like FHA loans, VA loans can be made at larger sizes than conforming ones. However, VA loans are available to military borrowers only.

Among the remaining ways to get financed are USDA loans for homes in non-urban city centers; and jumbo and private loans made by local and retail banks.

Get Today's Mortgage Rates And Loan Limits

Conforming loan limits are unchanged for 2014, marking the ninth straight year of the $417,000 loan size cap. However, limits will vary by state and county -- sometimes by a lot.