H.R. 9379: Affordable Homes for Veterans Act of 2026

This bill would change how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and loan servicers handle loan assumptions for VA-backed home loans. A loan assumption is when a buyer takes over an existing VA-guaranteed mortgage from the current homeowner, instead of getting a new mortgage.

What the bill requires

• 45-day deadline: Loan servicers would be required to review and decide on a complete application for a VA home loan assumption within 45 calendar days after receiving it.
• Applies in all cases: This deadline would apply whether the servicer can approve the assumption itself or must send it to a VA regional loan center for approval.
• What counts as complete: A complete application is one that includes all documents and information required by VA rules.

VA guidance updates

Within 30 days of enactment, the VA Secretary would have to update guidance and communications for servicers to make clear that:

• the 45-day timeline is a legal requirement,
• servicers may not use the timeline as a reason to discourage borrowers from pursuing an assumption, and
• any statements about processing times must match the statutory deadline.

Inspector General review

Within 90 days of enactment, the VA Inspector General, working with the Government Accountability Office, would have to assess how assumption applications have been handled. The review would look at:

• how often servicers met the 45-day deadline over the previous three years,
• average processing times by servicer and by region,
• what servicers told potential assumers about timing, including whether they implied delays longer than 45 days,
• denial, approval, and withdrawal rates for assumption applications,
• whether assumptions are being treated more strictly than new VA loans,
• any signs of discrimination or unequal treatment,
• operational or staffing barriers that cause delays, and
• how well the VA oversees servicer compliance.

Within 18 months, the Inspector General would have to report the findings to Congress. The report would also identify servicers that repeatedly fail to meet the deadline, compare denial rates for assumptions versus new VA loans, and suggest enforcement or policy changes if needed.

Public data

The Inspector General would be required to make anonymized data from the assessment publicly available.

Relevant Companies

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