Mortgage approvals are getting harder and harder to come by…even for the previous “good” borrower.

Lenders and the automated approval systems they use to approve borrowers underwent a major overhaul this month. On first blush one might think this was a knee-jerk reaction to the credit crunch, but there is more on deeper inspection. I also suspect that this is only the first salvo in an increasing tightening of mortgage lender standards across the board.

President Bush in a press conference yesterday outlined a plan to help subprime borrowers facing upward rate adjustments (and potentially foreclosure because of the rate increases) some hope. Sadly, after a little investigation…it was all a big lie!

He outlined a 3 part plan to “help” American homeowners:

FHA home mortgage programs are currently under threat of extinction. The FHA home mortgage could die a needless death if reforms don’t pass Congress quickly and correctly.

Due to a number of reasons, the long-standing govenment FHA home mortgage programs are quickly becoming irrelevant. So much so, on the floor of the US Congress a few years back, their was a proposal to discontinue them altogether. Before we discuss the reasons, let’s refresh your memory on the basics of these mortgage programs.