Rural housing programs will now use standard insurance rules, not their own

The US Department of Agriculture's rural housing programs are changing their insurance rules. They will now use the same insurance types, amounts, and deductibles as the rest of the affordable housing industry.

For decades, developers building affordable housing in rural areas had to navigate a separate set of insurance requirements from the USDA. This meant extra paperwork and confusion, which added to project costs and delays. Now, the USDA is aligning its rules with industry standards, which should make it easier and faster to get these projects insured and built.