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The initialism USDA stands for United States Department of Agriculture. USDA is a government agency that serves people across the United States in different capacities. According to their website, they have 29 agencies and offices with over 100,000 employees. While they are more often associated with rural America, USDA also serves in many other ways including education and research, conservation, and food and nutrition. USDA has a yearly budget of $149 billion.
USDA was founded in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed into law an act that established the United States Department of Agriculture. Two years later, in his final speech, he referred to it as the People's Program. At that time, over half the people in the U.S lived on farms. Over 150 years later, not only is USDA still going strong, it is a pillar of the U.S economy. It truly serves the people in many ways, as Lincoln stated.
One of the better known and more popular programs administered by USDA is the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Program. This program is designed to assist low to moderate income families in rural areas with their housing needs. It’s one of three loan programs backed by the U.S. Government. The loan type is also referred to as a RD Loan or USDA Loan. There are several benefits to the USDA Home Loan. The most popular feature is the no down payment requirement. Private lenders actually make the loan but since USDA backs or guarantees the loan, borrowers are not required to put any money down. Another benefit of the USDA Loan is the low monthly mortgage insurance because the factor used is lower than any other loan type. There is a flexibility in credit requirements in which most lenders allow credit scores as low 640. Also, the USDA Loan allows the seller of a property to pay all of the borrowers closing costs up to 6% of the loan amount and, in most cases, allows them to buy a home with $0 out of pocket. This is why the USDA Home Loan has grown so much in popularity. In fact, it is estimated that there are over 100,000 new USDA Home Loans each year.
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