Podcast: Biden Administration Is Making it Harder to Finance Homes

Housing Finance
Published
Contact: Reaganne Hansford
[email protected]
AVP, Leadership Strategy
202-266-8450

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD) was busy last week, publishing two new determinations that increase the requirements for borrowers to use federal mortgage programs when purchasing new homes.

On the latest episode of the NAHB podcast Housing Developments, CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez welcome to the program Jessica Lynch, VP of Housing Finance, to discuss the new rules.

First, Lynch explains the new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard from HUD that will require a complicated, three-tiered process for determining the extent of the floodplain, with a preference for a climate-informed science approach, for owners of new homes to qualify for FHA mortgage insurance.

Lynch then discusses the recent move by HUD to require all new homes purchased under certain mortgage program to be built to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), regardless of whether a state or jurisdiction has adopted that version of the IECC.

Watch the full episode below and subscribe to Housing Development through your favorite podcast provider or watch all the episodes on YouTube.

Housing Developments Podcast Sponsored by LG Pro Builder

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Business Management

May 26, 2026

NAHB Publication Offers Remodelers Sneak Peek into Industry Financials

BuilderBooks, the publishing arm of NAHB, released a new edition of its Remodelers’ Cost of Doing Business Study, 2026 Edition, a national study of remodelers’ business practices and financial performance.

Economics

May 22, 2026

Which Home Owners Are Fueling Today’s Remodeling Market?

With elevated mortgage rates and limited for-sale inventory making it harder to move, many home owners are instead choosing to invest in the homes they already own. In 2024, an estimated $670 billion was spent on remodeling projects.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

May 26, 2026

First Quarter 2026 Multifamily Construction Data

According to NAHB analysis of quarterly Census data, the count of multifamily, for-rent housing starts increased year-over-year during the first quarter of 2026. For the quarter, 107,000 multifamily residences started construction.

Economics

May 25, 2026

Custom Home Building – A Bright Spot for Construction

With overall single-family construction down 5% for the first four months of 2026, custom home building has been a relative bright spot. The custom building market is less sensitive to the interest rate cycle than other forms of home building but is more sensitive to changes in household wealth and stock prices.

Economics

May 25, 2026

Single-Family Built-to-Rent Slowed at Start of 2026

Single-family built-for-rent (or built-to-rent, BTR) construction fell back in the first quarter of 2026, as a higher cost of financing, increased multifamily supply and policy concerns over Congressional legislation related to institutional capital froze parts of the development market.