To know if you have an FHA loan, look for an FHA case number and a Mortgage Insurance Premium charge across four sources: your closing documents, your monthly mortgage statement, your loan servicer’s records, and the deed recorded with your county. Any one of them can confirm it, and the case number — a 10- to 15-digit code assigned by the Department of Housing and Urban Development at origination — is the single most reliable marker. It matters because FHA borrowers pay a different form of mortgage insurance, qualify for the FHA Streamline Refinance, can pass the loan to a qualified buyer through assumption, and have access to specific foreclosure-avoidance steps that conventional borrowers do not.
Check Your Closing Documents
The paperwork you signed at closing is the most definitive place to confirm an FHA loan. Start with the Closing Disclosure, or the older HUD-1 Settlement Statement if your loan predates October 2015. On page one, look for a “MIC” (Mortgage Insurance Case) number. On an FHA loan, that field contains the FHA case number. The number is typically 10 to 15 digits and begins with a three-digit location code tied to the HUD office in your area.
Another clear indicator is HUD Form 92900-A, “HUD Addendum to Uniform Residential Loan Application.” This form is the borrower’s application for insurance under the National Housing Act and includes a dedicated FHA case number field. If it is in your closing package, the loan was submitted for FHA insurance.
Your Promissory Note and Deed of Trust (or Mortgage, depending on your state) also carry identifying language. FHA-insured documents typically reference the National Housing Act, the federal statute that authorizes HUD to insure residential mortgages, and may mention the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the legal covenants.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 12 USC 1709 – Insurance of Mortgages The first page of the security instrument often displays the case number near the top margin or in the header.
Lost your closing package? Your loan servicer or the county recorder’s office can provide copies.
Review Your Monthly Mortgage Statement
Your monthly statement breaks your payment into principal, interest, escrow, and mortgage insurance. The insurance label is a strong tell. FHA loans carry a Mortgage Insurance Premium, usually shown as “MIP.” Conventional loans that require mortgage insurance use Private Mortgage Insurance, labeled “PMI.” If your statement says MIP, your loan is almost certainly FHA-insured.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is Mortgage Insurance and How Does It Work?
Some servicers label the charge generically as “mortgage insurance” or “MIP/PMI” without distinguishing between the two. If your statement is ambiguous, look in the account details section for an FHA case number. Its presence confirms FHA backing. When neither the label nor a case number is clear, calling the servicer is the fastest way to resolve it.
One background detail worth knowing: FHA mortgage insurance premiums are paid to the FHA regardless of your credit score, which differs from conventional PMI where pricing is credit-based.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is Mortgage Insurance and How Does It Work? If your monthly insurance charge does not vary with your credit profile the way a conventional PMI would, that fits an FHA pattern.
Contact Your Loan Servicer
The company that collects your monthly payment can confirm your loan type immediately. Call the number on your statement and ask whether your loan is FHA-insured. You can also ask for the “investor type” or “insurance type,” which prompts the representative to check the federal identifiers on your account. Most online servicer portals show this under account details or loan summary.
For written confirmation, federal law gives you the right to submit a written request for information. After receiving it, the servicer must acknowledge within five business days and provide a substantive response within 30 business days. The servicer can extend that by an additional 15 business days if it notifies you in writing before the original 30 days expire.3eCFR. 12 CFR 1024.36 – Requests for Information The written route is useful when you need documentation for a refinance application or a legal matter.
HUD’s internal system, FHA Connection, holds case-level data on every FHA-insured loan, but access is restricted to authorized lenders and servicers. Borrowers cannot look up their own loan directly through that portal.4U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Single Family Case Detail Going through the servicer is the practical electronic path.
Search County Property Records
Your County Recorder or Register of Deeds keeps public records of every lien filed against your property, including your mortgage. Most counties offer online search portals where you can look up your property by address or parcel number. The recorded Deed of Trust or Mortgage is a public document, filed shortly after your closing to put the world on notice of the lender’s interest.
When you pull up the recorded document, look at the top of the first page for an FHA case number or a reference to federal mortgage insurance. The same identifying language found in your closing package — references to the National Housing Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, or a numeric case number — appears in the recorded version. This recorded copy is the final legal version and controls over any unrecorded drafts in your personal files.
Why It Matters Once You Confirm
Most people check their loan type because something specific hangs on the answer. A few of the biggest consequences:
Mortgage Insurance Cancellation
FHA insurance does not come off the same way conventional PMI does. If your FHA case number was assigned on or after June 3, 2013, and you put less than 10 percent down, MIP lasts for the life of the loan; the only exits are refinancing into a conventional loan once you have enough equity, or paying the mortgage off. With 10 percent or more down under that same date rule, MIP drops off automatically after 11 years. For loans with case numbers assigned before June 3, 2013, MIP can be cancelled once the balance reaches 78 percent of the original purchase price and you have made payments for at least five years.5U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Single Family Mortgage Insurance Premiums Conventional PMI, by contrast, must be cancelled by the lender once the balance falls to 78 percent of original value under the Homeowners Protection Act. Confirming your loan type tells you which rule you live under.
FHA Streamline Refinance
The FHA Streamline Refinance is available only to borrowers who already have an FHA-insured mortgage. It allows a refinance into a new FHA loan with reduced documentation and, in many cases, no new appraisal. The current loan must be in good standing, the refinance must produce a “net tangible benefit” such as a lower payment or shorter term, and cash out is capped at $500. FHA does not allow closing costs to be rolled into the new loan on a Streamline.6U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Streamline Refinance Your Mortgage
Loan Assumability
All FHA-insured single-family forward mortgages are assumable. A qualified buyer can take over your existing loan and interest rate rather than obtain new financing. The buyer must meet FHA creditworthiness requirements and have a valid Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number. When the assumption is approved, the servicer prepares HUD Form 92210.1, which releases you from personal liability on the original mortgage.7U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Are FHA-Insured Mortgages Assumable?
Foreclosure-Avoidance Options
FHA borrowers who fall behind have access to a structured set of loss mitigation steps that servicers must work through before starting foreclosure. Early options include repayment plans and forbearance periods of up to 12 months. If those are not enough, servicers can offer a standalone partial claim, in which HUD covers missed payments through a subordinate lien, or a loan modification aimed at reducing the principal and interest payment by 25 percent. Only after home-retention options are exhausted can the servicer move to a pre-foreclosure sale, deed-in-lieu, or foreclosure.8HUD Archives. HUD Updates Options to Help Homeowners Keep Their Homes Knowing your loan is FHA-insured is what puts these steps on the table.