Dear Dr. Don, I purchased a home approximately a year ago, and I
financed the maximum allowed under the modified "super-
conforming" maximum loan limits for this area. On Oct. 1, 2011,
that limit dropped by about $60,000. I originally put down more
than 25% of the home's value, but since I've only paid for about
a year into a 30-year mortgage, I don't have a lot of equity
built up.  Is there any way to refinance without having to find
another $60,000 to meet the new super-conforming loan
guidelines? -- Mike Mortgage  Dear Mike, You're right about the
changes in the conforming loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac, changing effective Oct. 1. The upper limit actually went
down by more than $100,000, but these limits vary by region.
Conforming loan limits establish the upper limit on loan size
for loans to be delivered to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
However, in November the Federal Housing Administration, or FHA,
conforming loan limits were raised back to $729,950 from
$625,000 for high-cost housing areas. T