FHA Loans in Arkansas: One Limit in All 75 Counties, and Title Pricing the State Does Not Review

Nobody at the State of Arkansas reviews the price of your title-insurance policy. State law bars the Insurance Commissioner from requiring title-insurance premiums to be filed or reviewed, so the premium on your Little Rock or northwest Arkansas closing is whatever your title company charges. That is why I'd want you holding quotes from more than one of them.

Arkansas has one FHA loan limit for all 75 counties in 2026, $541,287 for a one-unit home, and title pricing is the cost worth comparing from one Arkansas closing to the next, since the state does not review it.

I'm Jeff Moran, NMLS #483943, licensed to originate mortgages in Arkansas through C2 Financial Corporation. The national FHA explainer covers the program itself, and this page covers Arkansas.

Title and settlement costs on an Arkansas FHA loan

A title bill in Arkansas has two halves. One is the insurance premium itself, the part the state does not review. The other is what the title agent charges for its own work: the search, the examination, document preparation, escrow and closing, and the notary and courier fees. The Arkansas Insurance Department's own rule keeps those two halves separate, and the Arkansas page walks through it.

On an FHA loan your own money in the purchase is at least 3.5 percent of the adjusted value, the lower of the purchase price and the appraised value, with closing costs as cash on top of that. A low down payment leaves little cushion, and itemized quotes from more than one title company let you compare the two halves and the totals side by side.

Arkansas does not set who pays the owner's title premium, so your purchase contract decides who pays and how much. Under FHA's rules the seller, the builder or anyone else with a stake in the sale can put up to 6 percent of the sales price toward your closing costs, prepaid items and discount points. The offer is where that gets agreed. Who pays for title insurance in each state shows how other states handle it.

FHA loan limits in Arkansas for 2026

HUD's Mortgagee Letter 2025-23, dated December 11, 2025, sets the limits for FHA case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2026. Every one of Arkansas's 75 counties is at the national floor, the lowest limit HUD sets anywhere, and that includes Pulaski County and Little Rock along with Benton and Washington counties in the northwest.

Home type	FHA limit in every Arkansas county
One unit	$541,287
Two units	$693,050
Three units	$837,700
Four units	$1,041,125

The limit applies to the loan amount, and the upfront mortgage insurance premium can be financed into the loan without counting against it. The conforming baseline for 2026 is $832,750, set in the Federal Housing Finance Agency's 2026 announcement, and it applies in all 75 counties too, so a purchase that needs a loan between those two figures is a conventional file instead.

FHA credit score and down payment rules in Arkansas

HUD's FHA handbook lets you borrow up to 96.5 percent of the adjusted value on a purchase when the credit score your lender uses is 580 or higher. That score is the middle of your three bureau scores, or the lower one if you have two. A score from 500 through 579 limits the loan to 90 percent of the value. Mortgage insurance has an upfront part and a monthly part, and the comparison of FHA with conventional and VA is on Which mortgage fits you.

Arkansas transfer tax on a purchase and on an FHA refinance

Arkansas's Real Property Transfer Tax applies to the deed when real estate is sold. A document given only to secure a debt is exempt from it, so the new mortgage in a refinance does not trigger the tax. Recording fees are separate, and on a purchase Arkansas law splits the transfer tax equally between you and the seller unless the contract says otherwise, which makes it one more term for the contract.

That keeps the state's side of an FHA streamline refinance simple. With an FHA-insured mortgage already in place, the streamline needs no appraisal, and the state adds recording fees but no mortgage tax. The Arkansas refinance page has the rest.

Closing and remote signing in Arkansas

Arkansas does not require an attorney at closing. Title agents and agencies are licensed, and someone who is not a lawyer may conduct the closing and fill in simple lawyer-approved forms. If you need to sign from somewhere else, Arkansas allows a notary to take your signature online under Act 1047 of 2021, with the notary physically in Arkansas.

Pricing an FHA loan for your Arkansas purchase

You can see FHA priced next to conventional for your scenario, with Arkansas closing costs in the estimate, whenever you'd like, by starting with pricing on the site. A pre-approval comes next, when you are ready to make an offer, and I'm happy to walk through the options with you.

Nothing here is a loan approval, a denial, or a commitment to lend. The limits above are republished every year, and what applies to your own file gets confirmed at application.

Common questions

What is the FHA loan limit in Arkansas?

HUD's 2026 limit for a one-unit home is the national floor in every Arkansas county, and the two-, three- and four-unit figures are the same statewide too. It applies to the loan amount, for FHA case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2026.

Does Arkansas review title insurance rates on an FHA loan?

No, it does not. Arkansas law bars the Insurance Commissioner from requiring title-insurance rates to be filed or reviewed, whatever the loan type, so itemized title and settlement quotes from more than one company are how you compare.

Who pays for owner's title insurance in Arkansas?

The purchase contract decides. Arkansas does not assign the owner's premium to either side, and FHA allows the seller and others with a stake in the sale to contribute toward your closing costs up to the handbook's cap.

Do I pay Arkansas transfer tax on an FHA refinance?

Not on an ordinary refinance. A document given only to secure a debt is exempt from the Real Property Transfer Tax, and recording fees still apply.

Does Arkansas require an attorney for an FHA closing?

Not for an ordinary closing. Licensed title agents and agencies conduct closings, and anything that is individualized legal work still belongs to a lawyer.

Can I get an FHA loan in Arkansas with a 580 credit score?

A score of 580 or higher, using the middle of three scores or the lower of two, qualifies for FHA's maximum financing. A score from 500 through 579 is limited to 90 percent of the value.