The Federal Housing Administration’s rate increases in mortgage insurance have caused buyers to walk away and transactions to fall through, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ second Survey of Mortgage Originators, which includes questions to lenders about the impact of changes to the FHA program. In recent years, FHA has increased its premium structure as a way to make up for the 2 percent capital reserve ratio it’s required to keep but lost when many loans went sour during the housing crisis.

The rise in FHA fees is also pricing some buyers out of the market. Lenders surveyed by NAR report that 5.7 percent of originations were lost because of the increase in FHA fees. That would correlate to about 200,000 to 250,000 home sales lost, according to NAR estimates.

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Are you on the home-buying sidelines this spring because you think you won’t be able to qualify for a mortgage? Do you know what sort of FICO credit scores are being accepted by lenders at the moment — they’re lower than they were a year ago — and whether yours could now be good enough?

Lenders are returning to the subprime market – although still at only a fraction of what subprime lending was before the mortgage crisis, BusinessWeek reports.

Some subprime lenders that collapsed during the financial crisis are coming back into business with new nonprime loan offerings.

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Employment troubles, large student loan debt, and tight underwriting standards have been major hurdles holding back potential first-time home buyers in their 20s and 30s, the Los Angeles Times reports.

In 2012, Americans who were 30 to 34 had the lowest home ownership rate of any similarly aged group in recent decades at 47.9 percent, according to demographer Chris Porter of John Burns Real Estate Consulting. As comparison, Americans born between 1948 and 1957 had a 57.1 percent ownership rate by the time they were in the 30 to 34 age group.

Studies have shown a strong desire among 20- and 30-somethings to buy a home, but their finances are holding them back from making such a move. As such, more relatives are stepping in to provide assistance with downpayment and closing costs. Twenty-seven percent of first-time buyers received a money gift from relatives last year.

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Applying for and getting a mortgage is one of the most daunting obstacles to overcome when shopping for a home. The process can be especially scary and confusing for first timers who may be unfamiliar with the various programs out there, or the advantages and disadvantages of each. Here is a quick rundown of the types of mortgages available, to help decide which may be the best option for your own situation.

The number of homes purchased with a home loan has been dropping steadily since May, according to RealtyTrac. Instead, cash is king for many reasons. As mortgage rates began creeping up, some home buyers started opting to purchase with all cash. And that trend may continue as new loan requirements become more strict.

However, for those buyers who do need to purchase a home with a loan, expect to see some changes in the loan requirements as the new year rings in. Here are a just a few of the changes that are going into effect in January 2014. Some of these requirements are already in place by lenders.