By a very strong bipartisan vote of 406 - 4 the House passed H.R. 5072, the "FHA Reform Act of 2010". This bill, sponsored by Rep. Waters (D-CA) and Capito (R-WV) strengthens the FHA mortgage insurance program while keeping the program affordable and available for responsible homeowners. The bill will allow FHA to increase the annual (monthly) premium. This is a victory for homebuyers. In February, FHA increased the upfront premium from 1.75% to 2.25%. With this new authority, HUD will DECREASE the upfront premium to 1% and increase the annual premium from .55% to .85%. This will reduce the upfront burden on homeowners while most quickly restoring FHA's reserves to the congressionally mandated level. The bill also included an amendment to increase the FHA multifamily loan limits in multi-story (elevator) buildings. The House defeated amendments to raise the FHA downpayment requirement, decrease the loan limits, and cap the market share for FHA. The NAR-supported bill now moves to the Senate.