Federal Housing Administration mortgages may be tougher to get come October in some metro areas – but limits on reverse mortgage will remain the same.

The FHA’s conforming loan limits on both forward and reverse mortgages were raised in 2008 in response to the financial crisis, making it easier to obtain FHA loans in more expensive metro areas. Under the raised limits, loans up to $729,750 were approved for certain high-cost areas.

The limits for forward mortgages are set to drop back this October. In most region’s, the new limit will be 115 percent of the area’s median price, with a maximum of $625,000.

But reverse mortgages will keep their higher limit, $625,500 for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, through the end of the year. HUD alerted lenders to the policy in a letter sent late last week.

The move is sure to be welcome news to the beleaguered reverse industry, which has seen several major lenders pull out of the market entirely in recent months.

"The higher limit is critical to us in Massachusetts.  The commonwealth has a good number of areas where the predominant value exceeds the previous national limit, or the previous county limits," said John Gibbons III, vice president for reverse mortgages with Fall River-based Accutrust Mortgage. "Lowering the limit would hit those still carrying a mortgage the hardest. Many seniors would be disqualified as we just wouldn’t be able to cover their mortgage – and if we can’t pay off their mortgage, we can’t offer them a reverse mortgage at all."

Bills have been introduced in Congress which would extend the higher limits for all loans, though they have not yet been acted upon.