Looking for a bargain on your next home? Try HUD Gary Sandler View Comments Prior to the Great Depression of the 1930s, obtaining a mortgage was a challenging task. Down payments were typically 50 percent of the purchase price, loan terms seldom exceeded 10 years, and balloon payments were the order of the day. It wasn’t until the passage of the Federal Home Loan Bank Act of 1932 that the mortgages we take for granted today began to emerge as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. Two years later, the Federal Housing Administration was established. FHA’s mission is to insure lenders who make FHA loans against losses they may suffer in the event a borrower defaults.