Reverse Mortgage News & Insights from HECMWorld

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/

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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/

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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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Mortgage rates are back above 7%, FHA is proposing specific changes to property requirements that would apply to reverse mortgages, and HUD has formally moved forward with a $1.3 billion HECM loan sale.

In this week’s HECM World Weekly, Gabrielle Hayen also looks at a new legal challenge involving home equity investment agreements, research showing nearly half of adults under 30 are living with their parents, and what new findings on inheritance and market uncertainty tell us about the changing financial pressures facing Baby Boomers and their families.

Plus, new analysis highlights an important gap between identifying fall risk and helping older Americans make the changes needed to remain safely at home.

In this episode:

• Mortgage rates climb to 7.12% as refinancing falls
  • FHA moves from reviewing property rules to proposing specific changes
  • HUD formalizes a $1.3 billion sale of approximately 4,200 HECM loans
  • A new lawsuit adds to scrutiny around home equity agreements
  • Nearly half of adults under 30 are living with parents
  • New research examines the timing of the Great Wealth Transfer
  • Baby Boomers grow more cautious about investment markets
  • The financial and physical challenges of aging in place

Read the full article here: https://hecmworld.com/2026/09/25/hecm-world-weekly-7-percent-rates-fha-rules-family-balance-sheet/

And get more news and analysis for the reverse mortgage and home equity industry at HECMWorld.com.

Reverse mortgage professionals may be fighting the wrong battle when it comes to HELOCs.

In this Food For Thought, Lisa Moriello, CRMP, National Retail Reverse Sales Manager at loanDepot, argues that the real opportunity is not convincing seniors that a reverse mortgage is better than a HELOC.

It is building relationships with the bankers who already have their trust.

Lisa explains why bank managers can become valuable referral partners, how reverse mortgage professionals can position themselves as the solution when a HELOC does not fit, and why getting into the conversation earlier matters.

Read the full article: https://hecmworld.com/2026/09/23/food-for-thought-heloc-vs-reverse-mortgage/https://hecmworld.com/2026/09/23/food-for-thought-heloc-vs-reverse-mortgage/

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Understanding your local reverse mortgage market is only useful if you know what to do with that information.

In Part 2 of our Industry Leader Insights interview, Reverse Market Insight’s Jon McCue explains how originators can turn local market knowledge into stronger referral conversations, smarter marketing and more consistent business development.

Jon shares a powerful example of one originator who used local reverse mortgage data to challenge assumptions with a group of financial advisors — and generated 26 referrals within two weeks.

We also discuss how local data can support borrower conversations, ZIP code targeting, websites, SEO, AI search, content strategy and long-term pipeline building.

Watch or listen to the full conversation to learn how local market knowledge can help you stand out from other originators and become a more credible authority in the markets you serve.

Read the full article: https://hecmworld.com/2026/09/21/industry-leader-insights-local-reverse-mortgage-data-referrals-growth/

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