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HomeFinancial CodeDiv. 2Ch. 6Art. 6§ 7509 Real Estate Loan Limits

§ 7509 Real Estate Loan Limits

Financial Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 7509 Real Estate Loan Limits

Key Takeaways

  • •You can't borrow more money than your house is worth. If your house is worth $100,000, you can't borrow more than $100,000.
  • •If you borrow more than 90% of your house's value, you need extra insurance to cover the part over 80%.
  • •If you want to borrow money using empty land (no house on it), you can't borrow more than 80% of what the land is worth.
  • •The bank has to check all the other loans on your house and make sure the total doesn't go over the allowed limit.

Example

You want to buy a house that costs $200,000, and you only have $10,000 saved up.

You can borrow up to $190,000 (95% of the house's value), but since it's more than 90%, you need insurance for the part over $160,000 (80% of the house's value). The bank will also check if you have any other loans on the house.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 7509 Real Estate Loan Limits

(a) (1) At the time of origination, a real estate loan may not exceed 100 percent of the market value of security property. An association shall, by vote of its board of directors, establish maximum loan-to-value ratios for loans made on the security of real estate, and the resolution adopting those ratios shall be included in the minutes of the directors’ meeting. Home loans, as defined in Section 7504, made on the combined security of real estate and savings accounts may be made in excess of the maximum loan-to-value ratios adopted pursuant to this subdivision with the excess secured by the savings account. (2) However, for loans originated in excess of 90 percent of the initial appraised value of the security property, the savings account shall consist only of funds belonging to the borrower, the borrower’s family, or the borrower’s employer, and the loans shall not exceed the appraised value of the real estate. (b) With respect to home loans originated or refinanced in excess of 90 percent of the appraised value of the security property, that part of the unpaid balance that exceeds 80 percent of the property value shall be insured or guaranteed by a mortgage insurance company that the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation has determined to be a “qualified private insurer.” (c) With respect to all other loans on the security of real estate originated in excess of 90 percent of the appraised value of the security property, an association’s board of directors shall approve each of these loans prior to its origination and that approval shall be recorded in the minutes of its meeting. (d) An association shall not make a loan secured by unimproved real property if the loan-to-value ratio would exceed 80 percent of the appraised value of the unimproved real property securing the loan. (e) In determining compliance with maximum loan-to-value-ratio limitations for real estate loans, at the time of making a loan, an association shall add together the unpaid amount, or in the case of a line-of-credit loan, the approved credit limit, of all recorded loans secured by prior mortgages, liens, or other encumbrances on the security property that would have priority over the association’s lien, and shall not make the loan unless the total amount of those loans, including the loan to be made but excluding loans that will be paid off out of the proceeds of the new loan, does not exceed the applicable maximum loan-to-value-ratio limitations prescribed in this subdivision. In determining the value of the real estate security, an association shall use the current appraised value of the security property, which may include any expected value of improvements to be financed. (f) “Value” for a real estate loan means the market value of the real estate. (Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 538, Sec. 169. Effective January 1, 2007.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

securityinsurancevaluecorporationresolutioncomplianceassociationreal estate

Related Statutes

  • § 7800 Hazard Insurance Standards For Loans
  • § 7507 Association Loan Exceptions
  • § 6455 Loan And Investment Records
  • § 7453 Agricultural Business Loan Limits
  • § 7461 Loan Default Acceleration Rights

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Financial Code. Section 7509.
View Official Source