The check digits enable the sending bank (or its customer) to perform a sanity check of the routing destination and account number from a single string of data at the time of data entry.
Generally, interest rates on FHA-backed mortgages are competitive with conventional mortgages. A quick scan of interest rates for 2012 reveals that FHA mortgages feature rates of about 3.33 percent. The FHA states that the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed loan on a single-family home is about 4.06 percent.
New FHA Loan Limits: Purchase Price Limit FOR FHA $271,050. If you are considering purchasing a home using FHA loan, the FHA limit has been reduced to $271,050. This is the maximum amount for FHA loan purchase price, down from $316K. This change went into effect as of Sept 30th, and have not heard many people discussing it.