Here is my lawyer reply:
I'm sorry, but if those are FHA rules there's nothing we can do. It
doesn't make any sense, since if a person had an EAD based on a pending
I-485 and then the I-485 were denied, say, 6 months down the road, that
would also terminate the person's authorization to even be in the US, much
less work in the US. Also, the spouses of L-1 visa holders can get EADs but
then if the L-1 spouse's job were to terminate, the L-2 spouse's status
would also terminate and he/she would no longer be eligible to stay here or
to work. So the Handbook guideline makes no sense and was obviously written
by someone who was quite ignorant of immigration law.
You might try asking to complain to somebody at a higher level either at the
mortgage company or at FHA, presenting the info that I sent you and the info
above, but there isn't anything we can do to get you and EAD until your
priority date becomes current (unless of course your spouse has an L-1 visa,
then you could get an L-2 visa and apply for an EAD)