"In late 2025, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), led by Director Bill Pulte, said it is " actively evaluating " the feasibility and risks of mortgage portability. This proposal was one of three floated to the public in late 2025, alongside 50-year mortgages and crypto-backed mortgages. Portable mortgages are common in Canada but have been virtually nonexistent in the U.S., where mortgages are tied to individual properties and packaged into mortgage-backed securities - a structure that makes portability difficult today."
"If adopted, homeowners could move to a new home and keep their existing mortgage rate, balance, and term instead of taking on a new - and likely higher-rate - loan. Proponents say this shift could unlock housing inventory and make it easier for people to move. But experts warn that portability could also widen gaps between homeowners with low rates and buyers entering the market for the first time, while disrupting the mechanics of the U.S. mortgage system."
Portable mortgages allow borrowers to transfer an existing mortgage's interest rate, remaining balance, and term from one property to another, letting homeowners keep low-rate loans when moving. The Federal Housing Finance Agency began actively evaluating mortgage portability in late 2025 alongside proposals such as 50-year and crypto-backed mortgages. Portability is common in Canada but rare in the U.S. because mortgages are tied to individual properties and packaged into mortgage-backed securities, which complicates transfers. Potential benefits include preserving favorable rates, avoiding prepayment penalties, maintaining terms, and unlocking housing inventory. Risks include widening advantages for existing low-rate homeowners, disadvantaging new buyers, and disrupting mortgage-market mechanics. No formal program or timeline exists.
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