SFH Guaranteed Origination
November 21, 2025
USDA’s SFH Guaranteed Loan Program has resumed full operations.
 We are pleased to inform you that the USDA Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program has resumed full operations following the conclusion of the federal government shutdown.
What You Need to Know:
- As originally announced on September 16, 2025, the maximum Principle, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance (PITI) ratio has been changed to 29% as of November 4, 2025.
- Due to the recent lapse in appropriations, applications which were received by the Agency, through a final submission in GUS, prior to November 4, 2025 will be processed under the previous guidelines permitting a maximum PITI ratio of 34%.
- Applications which were received by the Agency, through a final submission in GUS, on or after November 4, 2025 will adhere to the adjusted 29% guideline.
- The revisions to HB-1-3555, Chapter 11, Ratio Analysis, to reflect the PITI change cited above will follow as soon as possible.
- Funding is available and Conditional Commitments are being issued.
- We are actively working through a backlog of application requests for Conditional Commitments and Loan Note Guarantees. Please refer to the USDA LINC Training & Resource Library to view our current turn times.
- Rush requests cannot be accommodated. We are reviewing requests in date order received.
- Loans must not be closed before receiving "Form RD 3555-18, Conditional Commitment". Doing so disqualifies the loan from a Loan Note Guarantee (LNG) and may impact lender participation status. Note: A recommendation from GUS is not a Conditional Commitment.
Action Requested - Help us get caught up!
Please review your pipeline and notify us of any applications that can now be withdrawn due to changes in borrower circumstances or other factors. This will help us prioritize active requests and manage our workload more efficiently.
How to Withdraw an Application in GUS:
- If the application’s submission status is “Unknown” or “Preliminary”, you can click the “Withdraw Application” button directly in GUS.
- If the submission status is “Final” but the application status is still “Pending”, you can:
- Recall the final submission, then
- Withdraw the application.
- If the application status is “In Process” or “Approved”, the withdraw option is no longer available. In these cases, please notify the Agency immediately by emailing the appropriate Origination and Processing Division (OPD) so we can remove the request and release the funds. Visit the LINC Contacts & Resources page for contact information.
- Refer to HB-1-3555, Chapter 14.5, Lender Withdrawal of Application, for additional guidance.
We sincerely appreciate your continued patience, flexibility, and collaboration as we work through this transition. Your partnership is vital to our rural communities and the families we serve — we are grateful to work alongside such dedicated lending partners.
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