The USDA Streamline Assist refinance program is still available to thousands of rural homeowners across the country. Homeowners that have a current USDA mortgage now are eligible for the Streamline Assist program.
The refinance program will allow eligible homeowners to refinance their mortgage into a lower interest rate, regardless of the home loan to value. Even “upside-down” and underwater loans qualify for this new program, your current home value or negative equity is not important.
There are NO out-of-pocket costs to the homeowner as all bank, lender or broker closing costs can be included in the new USDA mortgage. To be eligible for the rural refinancing program, homeowners must currently have either a direct USDA loan or a USDA 502 guaranteed mortgage.
As of August 2024, USDA interest rates are at the lowest level in past 18 months. Now may be a great time to investigate a refinance if you purchased your home over the past few years.
Please note, you MUST currently have a USDA mortgage to be eligible for the refinance program. If you have a conventional loan, VA loan or FHA loan there are different streamline options available, please read the bottom of this page for more information.
The USDA streamline refinance will cut through the red tape normally seen with traditional bank refinancing and potentially save homeowners hundreds of dollars a month. To be eligible, borrowers must have made their mortgage payments on time for 12 consecutive months. There are many eligible borrowers across the nation, and the program has helped thousands refinance over the years.
Lender requirements of the new USDA Streamline Assist Refinance program include:
Have questions? Please touch base with us today to discuss the program details. Just submit the Info Request Form on this page to get started.
- You must currently have a USDA backed mortgage. Regardless of your current mortgage company or loan servicer (Chase, Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo, etc) we can help!
- No mortgage late payments in the previous 12 months.
- Mobile and Manufactured homes are NOT permitted.
- Borrower’s monthly mortgage payment must meet tangible benefit requirements.
- The new term of the USDA refinance must be 30 years fix mortgage.
- The upfront USDA guarantee fee of 1% of the loan amount can be rolled into the new loan.
- The applicable USDA monthly mortgage insurance (PMI) fee will be .35%
- The new loan may include the principal balance of the existing loan plus the upfront USDA guarantee fee of 1 percent and ALL closing costs. No out of pocket costs to the homeowner.
- No cash out is permitted with any USDA refinance program. This is simply to reduce your interest rate and/or term.
- Income verification for all adult household members is required for USDA income eligibility only, not for determining repayment ability. Check the USDA Blog page above for current 2024 USDA housing income limits
- Borrowers must be employed at the time of closing on the refinance transaction or have alternate sources of income, such as retirement income, social security income, disability income, alimony, or child support. Debt to income ratios will not be reviewed.
- The loan to value (LTV) cap is unlimited. No restrictions for homeowners that are “upside-down” or “underwater” on their mortgage. If your home value has decreased in recent years, no worries, as a new appraisal or home inspection are NOT needed!
- Homeowners are still eligible even if the property is no longer located in a current eligible/approved map location.
The primary purpose of the USDA refi program is to help rural residences that have done everything right, but may have lost significant equity in their home as a result of past market changes. Many homeowners have made their mortgage payments on time but could not take advantage of the historic low interests because of depreciation in home values and equity restrictions put in place by most mortgage companies.
The USDA Streamline assist program is designed to help these homeowners, regardless of the current loan to value or negative equity. USDA mortgage interest rates are still near all-time low levels.
Questions about the USDA refinance loans? Just submit the quick info request form on this page to get started. Mobile users will find the Info Request Form the bottom of this page. You can also call us 7 days a week (9am-8pm) at the number above.
Please also be sure to view the USDA refinance video to the right and view the most frequently asked USDA loan refinance questions here.
If you are a homeowner interested in refinancing a different type of mortgage (non-USDA) please click on the blue links highlighted below.
Conventional Mortgage: Homeowners with conforming Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loans can learn about the conventional refinance here.
FHA Mortgage: Homeowners with an FHA mortgage can click to learn about the FHA streamline refinance
VA Mortgage: Homeowners with a VA mortgage can click to learn about the VA Home Loans here.