FHA INFO 2026-05: FHA Single Family Housing Operations and Systems Availability During the Federal Government Shutdown

February 2, 2026 - Due to a lapse in appropriations, many Federal Government agencies have shut down operations and furloughed staff until further notice. However, the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) Office of Single Family Housing and some of its mortgage insurance programs will be operational but with limited services. Under a funding lapse, FHA’s actions and decisions about the operations that continue are governed by the U.S. Constitution, statutory provisions, court opinions, and Department of Justice (DOJ) opinions, which provide the legal framework for how funding gaps and shutdowns have occurred in recent decades.

While some services will continue to be operational, there will be limited customer service and functionality. See below for an overview of business impacts specific to FHA’s Office of Single Family Housing, FHA participating lenders, and other stakeholders in FHA Single Family transactions. Full descriptions and details can also be found in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Contingency Plan for Possible Lapse in Appropriations document on hud.gov.

The FHA Resource Center’s online FAQ site has been updated to include additional information about operations and systems availability during the shutdown (search keyword “shutdown”).

Customer Service

The following options will be available for general inquiries during the shutdown, but with limited staff availability, longer wait times for assistance, and limited ability to answer case-specific questions:

• The FHA Resource Center’s online FAQ site will be available but will not be updated for the duration of the shutdown. The FHA Resource Center can be reached by:
• Email at [email protected];
• Phone at (800) CALL-FHA (225-5342). The FHA Resource Center is prepared to accept calls from persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication impairments. Information on how to make an accessible phone call is available at the Federal Communications Commission’s Telecommunications Relay Service website;
• HUD FHA Self-Service Portal for authorized users; and
• Live chat.

Origination through Endorsement Activities

The following activities will be available during the shutdown, but with limited FHA staff availability and longer waiting times for assistance:

• Condominium Project approvals under the Direct Endorsement Lender Review and Approval Process (DELRAP);
• Manual pre-endorsement actions: resolution of the Holds Tracking queue (including case number assignments for Single-Unit Approval condominiums); case number transfers, cancellations, and reinstatements for cases that the mortgagee cannot process in FHA Connection and require FHA staff intervention;
• Submissions of Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premiums (UFMIP) for new endorsements;
• Insurance endorsements for Title II Forward mortgages, including Notice of Return (NOR) resubmissions.

The following activities will be unavailable for the duration of the shutdown:

• Condominium Project approvals under the HUD Review and Approval Process (HRAP);
• Endorsement of Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM);
• Endorsement of Title I loans;
• Endorsement of Test Cases;
• Pre-Closing Review and Endorsement of HUD employee loans; and
• Mortgage Insurance Certificate (MIC) corrections.

Lender Approval and Recertification, Monitoring, and Quality Assurance Processes

The following processes will be impacted and may be unavailable in part or in whole for the duration of the shutdown:

• Annual Lender Recertification processes must continue in accordance with existing policy in the FHA Single Family Housing Policy Handbook1 (Handbook 4000.1); however, submissions will not be reviewed or approved.
• Applications for FHA Lender Approval may be submitted in accordance with existing Handbook 4000.1 polices; however, submissions will not be reviewed or approved.
• Requests for Lender Post-Approval Changes may be submitted in accordance with existing Handbook 4000.1 policies; however, changes requiring FHA action will not be reviewed.
• Requests for Supplemental Mortgagee Authority may be submitted in accordance with existing Handbook 4000.1 policies; however, submissions will not be reviewed.
• Quality Assurance activities (loan and lender monitoring) will not take place.

Other Participants in FHA Transactions

The following processes will be available during the shutdown, but with limited staff availability and longer wait times for assistance:

• FHA Appraiser Roster look-up functionality;
• FHA 203(k) Consultant Roster look-up functionality;
• FHA-approved Non-Profit look-up functionality;
• FHA-approved Condo look-up functionality; and
• Housing Counseling Agency look-up functionality.

The following processes will be unavailable for the duration of the shutdown:

• FHA Appraiser Roster new application, reinstatement, and recertification processing;
• FHA 203(k) Consultant Roster new application, reinstatement, and recertification processing; and
• Non-profit new application, reinstatement, and recertification processing.

Servicing, Claims, and Asset Management

The following servicing, claims, and asset management business processes will be available during the shutdown, but with limited staff availability and longer wait times for assistance:

• Submissions of Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premiums (MMIP);
• MIP refunds to borrowers;
• Claims filing and payments;
• Conveyance and property preservation activities;
• HUD Secretary-Held HECM loan payments to borrowers;
• HUD Real Estate Owned (REO) listings and sales;
• HUD Secretary-held notes and mortgage servicing;
• Extension and variance processing in the Extensions and Variances Automated Requests System (EVARS); and
• Payoff statement and subordination requests for Secretary-held liens, including Partial Claims.

The following processes will be unavailable for the duration of the shutdown:

• Principal Broker Name and Address Identification Number (NAID) new application processing.

Technology Systems

The following systems will be available for use, but with limited capability for actions that require FHA staff intervention:

• Asset Disposition and Management System (ADAMS/P260);
• Credit Alert Verification Reporting System (CAIVRS); however, the accuracy of the information in the system may not be current;
• Electronic Appraisal Delivery (EAD) portal;
• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI);
• Extensions and Variances Automated Requests System (EVARS);
• FHA Catalyst: Case Binder Module;
• FHA Catalyst: Claims Module;
• FHA Catalyst: Single Family Default Monitoring System (SFDMS) Module;
• FHA Connection (FHAC), including obtaining an FHA Case Number;
• Home Equity Reverse Mortgage Information Technology (HERMIT);
• Lender Electronic Assessment Portal (LEAP); however, FHA will be unable to approve FHA applications, complete lender changes, or review or process any audited financial statements;
• Loan Review System (LRS);
• Neighborhood Watch Early Warning System (SFNW); however, data will not be updated for the duration of the shutdown;
• Non-Profit Data Management System (Yardi/P260)
• Single Family Insurance System (SFIS) and Insurance Claims Subsystem (CLAIMS);
• Single Family Mortgage Asset Recovery Technology (SMART) System including the Smart Integrated Portal (SIP);
• Technology Open To Approved Lenders (TOTAL); and
• Title I Insurance and Claims System (TIIS).

Training, Events, and Conference Presence

FHA will not host in-person or live web-based training events for the duration of the shutdown; however, stakeholders and other interested parties can still view materials available on the webpage. Additionally, FHA staff scheduled to present at or registered to attend conferences and other external events are unable to do so.

Reminder of Early Default Intervention for Homeowners with FHA-Insured Mortgages

February 2, 2026 - FHA reminds its mortgage servicers of their obligation to conduct early default intervention. These options should be utilized for homeowners who are experiencing issues making their mortgage payments, including furloughed employees. These options include forbearance, which allows homeowners to fully suspend or make partial payments to their mortgage for a period of time, or a repayment plan. Additionally, FHA offers permanent loss mitigation options to bring mortgages current.

Homeowners having difficulty making their monthly mortgage payments should contact their mortgage servicer to discuss their specific situation to determine the most appropriate intervention solution for them. Homeowners may also contact a HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency, which can be found online at https://www.hud.gov/counseling, or by phone at (800) 569-4287.