Community-based mortgage lenders have asked the Obama administration to include a provision in the FY 2015 budget lowering FHA annual premiums to allow the agency to fully meet its mission of providing affordable mortgage credit while shoring up the FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. In a recent letter to the Office of Management and the Budget, the Community Home Lenders Association called for a reduction in the annual FHA premium on purchase loans from the current 1.35 percent to 0.75 percent. The CHLA further recommended a 0.5 percent reduction of the annual premium for all borrowers when the FHA reaches its 2.0 percent net worth standard. At the same time, the CHLA also recommended lowering down to 0.5 percent the premium paid by homeowners who have completed HUD-sanctioned pre-purchase homeownership counseling. The group also called for an increase in the upfront FHA premium to as high as ...