Federal Housing Administration (FHA): Removal of Section 235 Home Ownership Program Regulations

Through this rule, HUD removes the regulations for its Section 235 Program, which authorized HUD to provide mortgage subsidy payments to lenders to assist lower-income families who are unable to meet the credit requirements generally applicable to FHA mortgage insurance programs. Authority to provide insurance to mortgagees under this program was terminated under the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 and HUD has not provided new mortgage subsidy payments under this program since then. Because the regulations governing this program are no longer operative, they are being removed by this final rule. To the extent that any Section 235 mortgages remain in existence, or second mortgages for the recapture of subsidy payment pursuant to HUD's regulations governing the Section 235 Program (which was reserved by regulatory streamlining in 1995), the removal of these regulations does not affect the requirements for transactions entered into when Section 235 Program regulations were in effect. Assistance made available under the Section 235 Program will continue to be governed by the regulations that existed immediately before the effective date of this final rule.