Tighter Requirements for FHA Loans Loom - It's about to get tougher to qualify for a FHA mortgage. The FHA is adding more-stringent lending requirements and higher fees borrowers must pay to get the federally-insured loans. Beginning this spring, the FHA will raise mortgage insurance fees that borrowers must pay, cap the amount of cash that sellers can contribute for closing costs and require higher down payments for the borrowers with poor credit scores.