Reverse Mortgage News & Insights from HECMWorld

Can a reverse mortgage help protect retirement investments during a market downturn?

In Episode 2 of Rethinking Retirement Finance, retirement income researcher Dr. Wade Pfau joins host Shain Urwin from C2 Financial to explain how a HECM line of credit can serve as a financial buffer, helping retirees manage sequence-of-returns risk and avoid withdrawing from investment portfolios when markets are falling.

Building on Episode 1's discussion of why housing wealth belongs in retirement planning, this conversation explores the practical strategies behind Pfau's research.

Topics include:

• How a HECM line of credit works as a buffer asset during market downturns.
• How reverse mortgages compare with cash reserves and life insurance in retirement planning.
• Why some financial advisors remain reluctant to recommend reverse mortgages, even when they understand their potential benefits.
• The challenge of overcoming longstanding consumer misconceptions.
• What Pfau's historical research, including the 1966–1995 period behind the 4% withdrawal rule, reveals about retirement income strategies.
• Why Pfau believes reverse mortgages remain significantly underutilized.

Pfau explains why greater education and a broader understanding of retirement planning could help more homeowners make informed decisions about their housing wealth.

Read the article: https://hecmworld.com/2026/10/15/rethinking-retirement-finance-wade-pfau-hecm-line-of-credit-market-downturns/

Dr. Wade Pfau's books:

Retirement Planning Guidebook:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945640197

Reverse Mortgages: How to Use Reverse Mortgages to Secure Your Retirement:
https://www.amazon.com/Reverse-Mortgages-Secure-Retirement-Researcher/dp/194564012X/

Rethinking Retirement Finance is a new weekly HECM World show brought to you by C2 Financial exploring the research and strategies shaping retirement planning, and what they mean for reverse mortgage professionals and their clients.

New episodes every Thursday on HECM World.

In this Food For Thought, Lisa Moriello, CRMP, National Sales Manager at loanDepot, breaks down how reverse mortgage professionals can think more strategically about HECM structure in a changing rate environment.

Lisa focuses on three key “dials” originators can work with: margin, timing and how borrowers access their proceeds. She also explains why the expected rate matters more than the Fed headline, why timing can materially affect proceeds, and how different HECM structures can better align with a borrower’s priorities.

Rather than trying to predict where rates are headed, Lisa’s message is simple: understand the trade-offs, run the scenarios and structure the loan around what matters most to the borrower.

Read the full article on HECM World:
https://hecmworld.com/2026/10/14/food-for-thought-hecm-rates-borrower-strategy/

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Senior housing wealth has reached a record $15.34 trillion, yet annual HECM endorsements have fallen to their lowest level since 2003. NRMLA President Steve Irwin explains why he believes the reverse mortgage industry remains strong.

In Part 1 of this Industry Leader Insights interview, Irwin joins HECM World to talk about the state of the reverse mortgage market, the challenges facing federally insured HECMs and the opportunities ahead.

Topics include:

• Why Irwin remains optimistic despite historically low HECM production and how proprietary reverse mortgages are filling gaps in the market.
• NRMLA's push to reform FHA's upfront mortgage insurance premium (MIP) structure.
• The industry's relationship with HUD, FHA and Ginnie Mae, including the impact of federal staffing cuts and opportunities for regulatory reform.
• Why NRMLA supports Matt Jones for FHA commissioner.
• The reverse mortgage industry's reputation challenge, how the product has evolved and why misconceptions persist among consumers and mortgage professionals.
• The growing role of traditional mortgage lenders in bringing reverse mortgages into the mainstream.

With record senior housing wealth and an aging population, the industry faces significant opportunities, but also questions about how to translate that potential into stronger HECM production.

Read the full article: https://hecmworld.com/2026/10/12/industry-leader-insights-steve-irwin-hecm-outlook/

Watch Part 1 now, and stay tuned for Part 2, where Steve Irwin looks ahead to the future of the reverse mortgage industry and what needs to change to support long-term growth.

Subscribe to HECM World — News, insights and analysis for the reverse mortgage industry.

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Senior home equity has surpassed $15 trillion for the first time, reaching a record $15.34 trillion, according to new NRMLA/RiskSpan data.

This week on HECM World Weekly, Andrew Montesi steps in for Gabrielle Hayen to cover the latest developments shaping the reverse mortgage industry, housing market and retirement landscape.

In this episode:

• Record senior home equity: Homeowners aged 62 and older now hold $15.34 trillion in housing wealth, following a $398 billion quarterly increase.
• The Boomer housing handoff: New Realtor.com research projects 13.9 million homes will transition out of older-owner occupancy over the next decade.
• Aging in place: Northwestern Mutual finds 83% of Boomers and older Americans prefer to receive long-term care at home, despite significant financial challenges.
• Longer retirements: New TIAA research highlights growing concerns about longevity, healthcare costs and retirement savings.
• Rethinking Retirement Finance: Dr. Wade Pfau explores why housing wealth should be considered alongside other retirement assets.
• Older Americans' wealth: Bank of America reports households aged 55 and older hold nearly $140 trillion in total net worth.
• Mortgage rates climb: Freddie Mac reports the 30-year fixed rate at 7.40%, while the MBA reports declining mortgage applications.

As senior housing wealth reaches new heights, what do these demographic and financial shifts mean for the future of reverse mortgages?

Read the full Weekly report and find more details here: https://hecmworld.com/2026/10/09/hecm-world-weekly-senior-home-equity-tops-15-trillion-boomer-housing-handoff/

Subscribe to HECM World — News, insights and analysis for the reverse mortgage industry.

https://hecmworld.com

Should a reverse mortgage really be treated as a financial last resort?

In the first episode of HECM World’s new Rethinking Retirement Finance show, host Shain Urwin from C2 Financial sits down with retirement income researcher Dr. Wade Pfau to challenge that conventional thinking.

Pfau explains why housing wealth should be considered alongside investments and other retirement assets, how a HECM line of credit can fit into a broader retirement strategy, and why waiting until a client “needs” a reverse mortgage may mean overlooking its strategic value.

The conversation also explores why misconceptions remain common among financial advisors — and how reverse mortgage professionals can better educate advisors about how the product actually works.

Read the full article and key takeaways:
https://hecmworld.com/2026/10/08/rethinking-retirement-finance-reverse-mortgages/

Rethinking Retirement Finance is a new weekly HECM World show exploring the research and strategies shaping retirement planning — and what they mean for reverse mortgage professionals and their clients.

New episodes every Thursday.

About Dr. Wade Pfau

Dr. Wade D. Pfau, PhD, CFA, RICP® is the founder of Retirement Researcher, co-founder of the Retirement Income Style Awareness tool and co-host of the Retire with Style podcast. He is principal and director of retirement research at McLean Asset Management, a Research Fellow with the LIMRA Retirement Income Institute and a professor of practice at The American College of Financial Services. 

He is the author of four books, including:

He is the author of four books, including:

Retirement Planning Guidebook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945640197/

Reverse Mortgages: How to use Reverse Mortgages to Secure Your Retirement
https://www.amazon.com/Reverse-Mortgages-Secure-Retirement-Researcher/dp/194564012X/

 

October brings a unique convergence of retirement decisions: Social Security adjustments, Medicare open enrollment, insurance renewals, property taxes and rising seasonal expenses.

For many older homeowners, it’s the time of year when one question becomes increasingly important: “Am I going to be okay next year?”

In this edition of Food for Thought, Lisa Moriello, CRMP, National Retail Reverse Sales Manager at loanDepot, explains why reverse mortgage professionals should be paying particular attention to October.

Lisa shares three practical ways originators can add value right now — reconnecting with clients before they call, building relationships with Medicare agents, and helping bring home equity into the broader retirement-income conversation.

As Lisa puts it: “You’re not the loan officer calling to sell. You’re the professional who knew what month it was.”

Watch the full episode for Lisa’s practical approach to making October count.

Read the full article: https://hecmworld.com/2026/10/07/food-for-thought-october-retirement-planning-reverse-mortgage/

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What changes when a successful originator becomes responsible for building a team, coaching others and scaling production?

In Part 2 of HECM World’s Leaders Roundtable, Shain Urwin, CRMP, Christina Harmes, CRMP, and Gabe Bodner move beyond individual performance to tackle the bigger questions around leadership and growth in the reverse mortgage industry.

The panel discusses why successful processes need to be documented, how to coach different types of originators, where strong forward mortgage producers may fit into reverse, and how leaders can build a high-performance culture without losing sight of the borrower.

They also get candid about compensation, client-first decision making and what the industry needs to do differently if it wants to reach more older homeowners.

Watch the full Industry Leader Insights conversation and read more here: https://hecmworld.com/2026/10/05/industry-leader-insights-leaders-roundtable-build-teams-scale-production/

 

Inflation offered some relief this week, with the Fed’s preferred measure coming in softer than expected and easing some of the immediate pressure for another rate increase.

But the broader picture remains challenging. Mortgage rates are still above 7%, sellers are cutting prices at the highest September rate in years, and new research is highlighting growing financial pressure on older homeowners.

This week:

• Softer inflation cools expectations for another immediate rate hike
• Mortgage rates remain above 7% as housing activity stays under pressure
• More sellers cut prices as affordability remains strained
• Longbridge finds inflation and housing costs weighing on older homeowners
• $250,000 now covers less than three years of long-term care on average
• The U.S. slips again in a global retirement-security ranking
• Fiscal year 2026 HECM endorsements are in, along with HECM World’s latest industry reports show movement across the market
• And more!

Watch or listen to the latest HECM World Weekly.

Get all the details here:
https://hecmworld.com/2026/10/02/hecm-world-weekly-softer-inflation-rising-retirement-costs/

Subscribe for the latest reverse mortgage and home equity finance insights at HECMWorld.com.

A long wait is one thing. Not knowing what’s happening is another.

In this Food For Thought, Jason Back of Broker Essentials uses a frustrating airport experience in Barcelona to highlight a common weakness in the mortgage customer journey: silence.

As mortgage businesses increasingly rely on automation, CRMs, portals and digital processes, Jason argues that efficiency only works when customers still understand where they are, what happens next and what they need to do.

He shares three practical ways mortgage professionals can improve the client experience, including identifying communication gaps, providing updates before customers have to ask, and making someone responsible for viewing the process from the customer’s perspective.

Read the full article: [INSERT LINK]

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What separates the reverse mortgage originators who consistently perform from those who struggle to gain traction?

In Part 1 of this special Industry Leader Insights roundtable, Andrew Montesi is joined by three leading voices in reverse mortgage sales:

• Shain Urwin, CRMP, National Reverse Mortgage Director at C2 Financial
• Christina Harmes, CRMP, Reverse Mortgage Division Director at Barrett Financial
• Gabe Bodner, President of the 55+ Mortgage Division at OneTrust Home Loans

Together, they unpack the habits, disciplines and sales fundamentals that drive individual success — from prospecting and preparation to metrics, mentorship, empathy and long-term follow-up.

The panel also gets into one of the biggest challenges facing originators today: how to respond when rates, housing conditions, regulation and consumer perceptions are largely outside your control.

This is a practical conversation built around real experience, including what these leaders have learned the hard way and how they coach originators who are working hard but not seeing enough results.

Watch or listen to Part 1 now, and come back for Part 2 as the discussion shifts to scale, coaching, team development and building a high-performance reverse mortgage business.

Get the full article and details: https://hecmworld.com/2026/09/28/industry-leader-insights-leaders-roundtable-successful-originators-tough-market/

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