A jumbo loan (or jumbo mortgage) is a type of financing where the loan amount is higher than the conforming loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The 2022 loan limit on conforming loans for 1-unit properties is $647,200 in most areas and $970,800 in high-cost areas.
A jumbo loan is a mortgage used to finance properties that are too expensive for a conventional conforming loan. The maximum amount for a conforming loan is $647,200 in most counties, as determined by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Homes that exceed the local conforming loan limit require a jumbo loan.
In 2021, the conforming loan limit is $548,250 in most counties in the U.S., and $822,375 in higher-cost areas. Any mortgage over these amounts is considered a jumbo loan.
Jumbo loans typically have much higher down payment requirements compared to conforming loans. It's common to see lenders require 20% down on jumbo loans for single-family units. You may also need a higher down payment for second homes and multifamily units.
Jumbo mortgages are used to purchase properties with steep price tags—often those that run into the millions of dollars. Conventional mortgages, on the other hand, are smaller and more in line with the needs of the average homebuyer.
Jumbo loans offer the flexibility of either a 20% down payment or a lower down payment with private mortgage insurance (PMI). That can mean significant savings upfront with various options depending on your income, credit history, budget, and other qualifying factors.
Jumbo loan rates
The rates on jumbo mortgages fluctuate and can be higher or lower than the conforming mortgage rate. Currently, the average 30-year jumbo APR for a home purchase is 5.780%, while the average 30-year conforming loan APR for a purchase is 5.820%, according to Bankrate's survey of mortgage lenders.
A 20% down payment would put you at $150,000 out of pocket — and that's before closing costs are added in. Today's homeowners have more loan options, though. Jumbo loans are now available from some mortgage lenders with as little as 5% or 10% down. Others may require 15% to 20%.
You'll need a good credit score
Before lending you hundreds of thousands of dollars, lenders want to know you're financially responsible. You'll need a higher credit score to qualify for a jumbo loan than you would for a conforming loan — probably at least 700. But the higher your score, the better rate you'll get.
For one, you'll need a good credit score. Conforming lenders have a 620 minimum; jumbo lenders typically want to see a minimum credit score of 700.
Often, you will not have to pay PMI on Jumbo loans, as they usually require a higher down payment. PMI is designed for home buyers who make low down payments. However, since the down payment requirement will vary by lender, it is possible that your lender will require PMI in exchange for a lower down payment.
Taking out a jumbo mortgage doesn't immediately mean higher interest rates. In fact, jumbo mortgage rates are often competitive and may be lower than conforming mortgage rates. It ultimately depends on the lender and the market conditions.
In 2022, a jumbo loan is a mortgage bigger than $647,200 in most areas (though loan limits are higher in more expensive counties).
A 30-year fixed jumbo mortgage is a home loan that will be repaid over 30 years at a fixed interest rate. The amount of a jumbo mortgage will exceed the current Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac loan purchase limit of $417,000 for a single-family home, as of July 2010.
A conventional loan requires a credit score of at least 620, but it's ideal to have a score of 740 or above, which could allow you to make a lower down payment, get a more attractive interest rate and save on private mortgage insurance.
Jumbo loans rarely offer a better deal than conforming loans. From mid-2020 through mid-2021, for instance, jumbo mortgage rates on average were 0.34 percentage point higher than conforming loans.
Jumbo loans don't take more or less time to approve as compared to other loan types. Most mortgage lenders can close a jumbo loan in 3 weeks or fewer.
For 2022, the Federal Housing Finance Agency raised the maximum conforming loan limit for a single-family property from $548,250 (in 2021) to $647,200. In certain high-cost areas, the ceiling for conforming mortgage limits is 150% of that limit, or $970,800 for 2022.
The “80” refers to the first mortgage which finances the first 80% of the home's purchase price. The “15” refers to the second mortgage which finances another 15% of the purchase price. The “5” is the borrower's 5% down payment. There are two basic permutations to this: 80/15/5 or 80/10/10.
Larger Down Payment
One simple way to avoid using a jumbo mortgage is to make a bigger down payment. You only need to come up with enough money to keep the loan balance below your local conforming loan limit. With that approach, you have more options available, and you will pay less interest on a smaller loan balance.
What is the typical down payment for a jumbo loan? As a general rule of thumb, you can expect to make a down payment of at least 10% on your jumbo loan. Some lenders may require a minimum down payment of 25%, or even 30%.
One of the reasons that the jumbo-to-conforming rate difference has declined is the increase in guarantee fees (also known as g-fees) for the loans bought by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for conforming and high-balance conforming loans.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently announced the 2022 conforming loan limits and, to no one's surprise, loan limits have increased significantly to $647,200 in most areas of the country. The 18% increase is the largest year-over-year jump in loan limits in recent history.
Jumbo loans are still a significant credit risk, not only because the loan amount is so high, but also because the bank cannot resell the loan to be repackaged as a mortgage-backed security. In some of these cases, the bank will make up for this credit risk by charging higher interest rates.