How We Research Mortgage Answers

Primary sources first

We build every answer from the organizations that write or enforce the rules:

Source	What we use it for
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)	Mortgage disclosures (Loan Estimate, Closing Disclosure), consumer rights, mortgage insurance cancellation rules
HUD and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)	FHA loan rules, mortgage insurance premiums, FHA loan limits, housing counseling
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)	Conforming loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac	Published selling guides and program pages for conventional loans
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)	VA home loan eligibility, funding fee and entitlement
USDA Rural Development	USDA guaranteed and direct home loans
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)	Mortgage interest, points and other tax rules
State housing finance agencies	Down payment assistance and first-time buyer programs

We do not use lender advertising, social media posts or other blogs as sources for facts. When we mention a market average, such as the national average mortgage rate, we say which official survey it comes from and the week it covers, for example Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

How we check each fact

Every number in an answer (a limit, a percentage, a deadline, a fee) is matched to a specific page of a primary source.
We record the date we checked that page. You will see it next to each source as “Checked.”
If two official sources appear to disagree, we explain the difference rather than pick one silently.
If we cannot confirm a figure from a primary source, we leave it out.

Examples and calculations

Examples use round, hypothetical numbers so you can follow the math. We show the formula or steps, label any assumed interest rate, and remind you that real offers depend on your credit, income, property and lender. For loan limits, we use the official figures for the current year; for example, the 2026 baseline conforming loan limit for a one-unit home is $832,750, as announced by the FHFA.

Federal rules versus state and lender rules

Many mortgage rules are national. Others change by state, county or lender. We flag three common layers in our answers:

Federal law and program rules (for example, TRID disclosure timing or FHA minimum down payments).
State and local rules (transfer taxes, recording fees, state assistance programs).
Lender overlays, where a lender sets stricter requirements than the program minimum.

Keeping answers current

Mortgage rules change on a schedule (loan limits are set each year) and sometimes without warning. We review affected answers when a change is announced, and every answer at least once a year. The “updated” date changes when the content changes; the “reviewed” date changes when we re-check an answer even if nothing needed to change.

Checking a lender or getting personal help

We do not review individual loan offers. To check a lender’s license, use NMLS Consumer Access. For one-on-one help, find a HUD-approved housing counseling agency.