When hearing the term “jumbo loan rates” you may find yourself wondering just what type of loan that is and who actually gets them. Which exactly is jumbo, the rates or the loan and who in their right mind would want either.
Jumbo mortgages are mortgages that are for bigger than normal loan amounts. They are also known as California loans because of their prevalent use in California to purchase the expensive homes that are located there. You could say the jumbo loan concept was likely born in California before the housing bubble created expensive real estate across the country.
Jumbo mortgages are loans above the conventional conforming loan limit of $417,000 (or $625,500 in Alaska and Hawaii) as set by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. However, the recent economic stimulus package temporarily increases the conforming limit to $729,750 until December 31, 2008.
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