Fannie and Freddie Say Borrow More!

Get this - Rather then bringing in a down payment of at least 20 percent, you might find that a smaller down payment gets you a better interest rate!

According to the New York Times:
"Rules put in place in late 2008 by Fannie Mae and similar rules adopted by Freddie Mac are less favorable to borrowers who put down 20 percent to 25 percent--partially because they consider these borrowers to be more of a credit risk since they are not required to purchase private mortgage insurance. (!)

According to Fannie Mae, borrowers benefit from this industry practice because they are able to leave themselves a financial cushion by not issuing larger down payments, and can instead save the extra money for emergencies.

It is important to note though that smaller down payments mean higher monthly payments because the loan itself will be larger." (italics mine)

So let me get this straight - taking on more debt, making a higher payment to the bank, and paying money to an insurance company is for my benefit! I guess that's true since I always believe what the government, banks, and insurance companies tell me - don't you?