Is the Reverse Mortgage as simple as some claim? Or is it a highly complex financial tool, as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes it?

While it may appear that these views are mutually exclusive, they are not. However, the underlying concern is one that congress, regulators, financial planners, lenders, and consumers all need to better understand.

THE REVERSE MORTGAGE CONCEPT

The reverse mortgage concept is simple and can be explained in a sentence or two. In its most basic sense, a reverse mortgage is any loan program that defers the repayment obligation until a later date.

More specifically, it offers a homeowner the ability to use a portion of his/her home’s equity, it creates a lien, and it delays repayment until the home is no longer the primary residence of the last borrower. That is pretty basic and easy to understand. This holds true for all reverse mortgages, including the Federally Insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), single-purpose reverse mortgages offered by local government entities, and proprietary reverse mortgages.

THE HECM PRODUCT

However, the “concept” of a reverse mortgage and the “product” itself are quite different.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which is charged with a degree of oversight of the mortgage world, believes the reverse mortgage is complex. In 2012, the CFPB commented on the complexity of the HECM product in their 231-page Report to Congress stating,

“Reverse mortgages are inherently complicated products that are not easy for the average consumer to understand.”

Looking back, it’s hard to imagine this was said in 2012. At the time, training and education on the product was relatively easy. All that was needed was to simply educate mortgage originators and clients on the program guidelines, the non-recourse feature, principal limit factors, product options, payout options, and costs.

REGULATORY CHANGES

Only 15 months after the CFPB report was published, the program saw massive regulatory changes. These changes from 2013-2015 were intended to protect the HECM program, protect the consumer, and ensure the product was used as a sustainable solution for homeowners. Nevertheless, in a short period of time, the complexity of the reverse mortgage product doubled.

Does that mean the product is complicated? Not necessarily. The issue is not one of complexity, but rather a lack of familiarity. The HECM product is misunderstood simply because the terminology and concepts are somewhat unfamiliar.

As a result, industry training is quite different now, including the addition of the following concepts: initial disbursement limits, non-borrowing spouse, and financial assessment.

IS THE REVERSE WORLD MORE COMPLICATED THAN THE FORWARD?

I received what many believed was the best forward mortgage training available when I entered the industry. Completing it took me away from home for several weeks. Having a comprehensive understanding of the forward side DOES takes time. In fact, forward originators must now comply with TRID requirements which is not mandated for the reverse side… yet.

But, while various forward product options each have their own credit requirements and debt-to-income ratios, most consumers already understand the dominant product – the 30-year fixed conventional loan. By contrast, the dominant reverse product (The HECM) and the terminology that accompanies it are relatively unknown.

Once again, the primary issue for mortgage originators, financial service professionals, and consumers alike is becoming familiar with the HECM product.

Note: To be a licensed mortgage loan originator, the standardized testing (SAFE Exam) generally includes only one question on the topic of reverse mortgages.

DO NEW REVERSE MORTGAGE STRATEGIES INCREASE THE COMPLEXITY?

Yes. Wendy Peel, VP of Sales and Marketing at ReverseVision, notes that “much of the complexity lies within the varied strategic uses of the new reverse mortgage product.” Prior to 2013, reverse mortgage sales had little to do with financial planning and more to do with how much money the borrower could receive. In 2013, the program began limiting many borrowers to an initial disbursement of 60% for the first year. This, combined with an increased focus on sustainability, shifted the product back towards the financial planning uses for which it was originally intended.

Mathematically, research shows us the financial planning advantages are significant. Unfortunately, many loan originators, consumers, and most financial planners are still uncertain how to use reverse mortgages to open up retirement cash flow options and strategically manage portfolio draws in retirement.

IS IT WORTH EXPLORING?

Yes. Don’t let the unknown discourage you. The primary reason I wrote the book, Understanding Reverse, was to answer the most common questions, summarize the program guidelines, and document the regulatory sources. In fact, one of my greatest pleasures is receiving emails and letters from loan originators and consumers who thank me for clarification gleaned from the book.

The HECM product is the most under-utilized financial tool available to enhance the lives of older homeowners. We can easily solve the perceived complexity problem with proper education, not just offered to the loan originators, but also to financial service professionals, realtors, the media, and the clients themselves.

Yes, the concept is beautifully simple. Yet, the product appears complex because of a lack of familiarity with regulatory changes and appropriate financial planning uses. As we continue to develop new ways to explain this great program to a broader audience, I know we can build a better understanding of reverse mortgages.

 

I’d love more discussion on this topic. So, please let me know your thoughts? If you wish to attend my national broadcast on the Financial Assessment changes on October 3^rd, please register by clicking this link:

Financial Assessment Review and Updated Compensating Factors

Dan Hultquist is the Director of Learning and Development at ReverseVision and authored the top-selling book on this topic, Understanding Reverse – 2016.

With the regulatory overhaul over the last three years, and with more to come, the reverse mortgage program has gained positive attention in the national media and financial planning community. But, the basic concepts that every older homeowner should know have remained unchanged for the most of three decades. So, since other blog posts, including my own, discuss changes, this may be a good time to take a breather and review the core of the reverse mortgage program and what it offers.

The following is a summary of the top 10 most important concepts on my list:

1. What is a reverse mortgage?

The most common product, known as a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), is a federally insured loan product that allows homeowners 62 years and older to access a portion of their equity now in cash or monthly payments, or later from an established line-of-credit.

2. What are the primary advantages?

Many clients like the freedom of having no required monthly principal or interest mortgage payments. However, they often miss the advantages gained by making periodic prepayments. Of course prepayments will reduce the loan balance. But when using the adjustable rate HECM, those payments will also boost the government-insured line of credit that is already growing.

3. Who use Reverse Mortgages?

Older homeowners seeking reverse mortgages are a mix of those with a need for cash, those who wish to enhance their retirement lifestyle, and those with financial planning motives. However, since 2008, the reverse mortgage has also had the ability to assist those that wish to purchase a home.

4. What are the borrower responsibilities?

It is the borrower’s responsibility to occupy and maintain the home. However, he/she is also required to pay the property charges including property taxes and homeowners insurance when due, unless the lender sets aside funds for those purposes.

5. What is the most common misconception?

Clearly, the greatest misunderstanding is that the “bank gets your home.” This is not true, and the homeowner retains title and ownership of the home over the life of the loan, and the heirs have multiple options upon the death of the last borrower.

6. What do the proceeds potentially impact?

Proceeds are NOT taxed as income. While the HECM may be used to enhance basic Social Security and Medicare, the proceeds don’t adversely affect those government benefits. However, Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid are means-tested programs that may be impacted if caution is not taken.

7. What is the “Principal Limit?”

The Principal Limit represents the maximum funds that can be offered at the time of closing. This amount is tied to the relevant ages, interest rates, and the home’s value, but may be restricted in some cases during the first year.

8. What is the non-recourse feature?

The homeowners and their estates will never owe more than the value of their homes. This is a great consumer protection for the homeowners as well as their heirs, as there is no personal liability for a deficiency created by falling home prices or a loan balance that exceeds the value of the home.

9. Why is counseling required?

HUD felt it was important for the homeowner to be counseled by someone other than the loan originator. Therefore, a reverse mortgage applicant will need to select a HUD-Approved counseling agency and obtain a counseling certificate.

10. What are the Financial Planning strategies?

Many are using the HECM to delay Social Security filing. Others will draw tax free distributions from their home equity, allowing them to manage their adjusted gross incomes. This may reduce their tax liability as well as Medicare premiums. Still others will draw retirement cash flow from home equity during down markets to preserve their traditional retirement funds.

For more information on the reverse mortgage product and its recent changes, please purchase Understanding Reverse – 2016. For updates on the newest round of changes, stay tuned by subscribing to this blog.

Dan

“Accessing a large sum of cash from home equity and placing it in a bank account might be a problem for certain benefits that are “means-tested.”

– Understanding Reverse

Will getting a reverse mortgage impact my government benefits and/or my income taxes? These are major concerns that come up frequently when speaking to homeowners, especially during the month of April. And, for disclosure purposes, my first response is always:

“Keep in mind, reverse mortgage professionals are not a tax planners or financial planners, and rules regarding these items are always subject to change.”

Nevertheless, I offer general guidelines in my book, and in presentations to consumers, regarding both government benefits and taxation.

WILL A REVERSE MORTGAGE ADVERSELY AFFECT MY GOVERNMENT BENEFITS?

Maybe. As stated above, accessing a large sum of cash might pose a problem for some “means-tested” benefits. A means-test is a way of determining whether someone has the “means” to do without the assistance. Therefore, it will all depend on the answers to these two questions:

1. Is the government benefit affected by means-testing?
2. Is the amount drawn in excess of the benefit’s limits?

SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE

Basic Social Security benefits are not currently means-tested, and only a portion of Medicare is adjusted based on a homeowner’s income (MAGI or Modified Adjusted Gross Income). Therefore, we can safely say that Social Security and Medicare are NOT adversely affected by Reverse Mortgage proceeds.

SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY AND MEDICAID

However, Supplemental Security (SSI) and Medicaid have income and/or asset requirements. It will be important to know what amount, held in a bank account, could prevent one from receiving those forms of assistance. As a result, it may be best to leave all available reverse mortgage funds in a line-of-credit, and only access those funds for specific expenses (e.g. roof repair, stair lift, bathroom remodel, etc.). Furthermore, it is always a best practice for the homeowner to consult with a benefits administrator financial advisor to make sure they are not disqualifying themselves.

CAN A REVERSE MORTGAGE IMPROVE MY GOVERNMENT BENEFITS?

Yes it can! Draws from Home Equity are not taxed as income. Therefore, showing a lower Adjusted Gross Income can reduce premiums surcharges for that portion of Medicare that is means-tested on income.

In addition, even small draws from a reverse mortgage may eliminate the need to file for Social Security benefits too early. Delaying social Security may have significant advantages until age 70, and even a one year delay can improve a homeowner’s retirement cash flow.

WILL A REVERSE MORTGAGE ADVERSELY AFFECT MY TAXES?

This is another major concern that comes up frequently when speaking to homeowners.  Draws from home equity are not considered a taxable event (Federal or State Income Tax) and therefore do not adversely impact income tax liability.

However, if funds are drawn and placed into a bank account, they become an asset where interest may be earned. Any interest received from a new, or higher, bank account may be taxable moving forward.

On the flip side, when a homeowner draws part of their monthly cash needs from home equity instead of a taxable retirement income source, they may have the opportunity to reduce their marginal tax rate, which, in turn, can reduce their overall tax liability.

In addition, there may be cases where accrued interest, paid on a reverse mortgage loan balance, may be deductible just as with traditional, forward, mortgages. Keep in mind, reverse mortgages do not require monthly principal and interest payments. So, interest will generally accrue, but is not “paid”, and there can be no potential deductions unless a borrower actually makes prepayments.

Dan Hultquist

To learn more about how reverse mortgages, and how they can be used in financial planning, subscribe to this blog in the right-hand margin and get a copy of the top-selling book on the topic – Understanding Reverse.

Delayed gratification is the principle that resisting a SMALLER reward today may lead to a LARGER reward later. Yet how many people are really willing to wait for something better?

Consider the famous Stanford Marshmallow Experiments conducted in the early 1970s. Children were offered one marshmallow immediately, but two marshmallows if they waited only 15 minutes to consume it. According to Wikipedia, “In follow-up studies, the researchers found that children who were able to wait longer for the preferred rewards tended to have better life outcomes, as measured by SAT scores, educational attainment, body mass index (BMI), and other life measures.”

The children ONLY had to wait 15 minutes for their reward to double. How much harder is it for many homeowners to wait approximately 10 years for their available reverse mortgage funds to double? But, research shows it is indeed worth the wait.

Line of Credit Growth

The growth associated with the federally insured reverse mortgage is one of the hidden gems of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program. For those homeowners who obtain a reverse mortgage as soon as they are eligible (62), and leave the funds in the line of credit (LOC), their delayed gratification comes in the form of guaranteed growth.

The LOC grows at current interest rates, which means many homeowners should want their interest rates to rise. It is also very secure, as the Federal government guarantees that those funds will be available to homeowners as long as they occupy their homes and abide by program guidelines. The LOC will never be frozen, reduced, or even eliminated if home values decline. In other words, you can trust the one who distributes the marshmallows.

Social Security Delays

Delaying Social Security has a similar benefit. Imagine an 8% increase in monthly benefit each year delayed until age 70. Yet, according to data from the Social Security Administration only 1.1% of men and 1.7% of women are willing or able to wait until age 70 to draw file for their benefits.

If reverse mortgages are so great, why is nationwide use of the program down?

Again, it is built for delayed gratification. The reverse mortgage is a great planning tool, but it is no longer designed for reckless massive cash draws upfront. For example, until September of 2009, homeowners could access a percentage of their homes value that was roughly equivalent to their age. A homeowner, age 62, would qualify for 62.5% of his/her home value, and a 95 year old would qualify for 90%. How can any homeowner resist that kind of immediate gratification? Reverse mortgage advertising was unnecessary because homeowners willingly drew large sums, knowing they could never owe more than the home’s value.

In 2013, however, the updated “New Reverse Mortgage” installed restrictions on how much can be drawn upfront. A homeowner may have an initial principal limit of $200,000, but unless he/she is paying off a large loan balance, that homeowner will likely have access to only $120,000 (60%) in the first year. The additional $80,000 (40%) is generally kept in the growing line of credit. These regulatory changes became a form of forced delayed gratification.

The reverse mortgage has been refined over the years, and is very attractive for many types of retirement planning needs. Nevertheless, it is now unattractive as a massive cash-out refinance tool, as the product was once used.

Several years of research has shown that mathematically, it does not make sense to wait to obtain a reverse mortgage. It does, however, make sense to get one as early as possible, and not draw from the available funds until later… if you can resist.

Those children who resisted the marshmallows in 1972 will be eligible for a Home Equity Conversion in approximately 13 years. If I were a betting man, I would wager that they will have significant home equity, are more likely to delay social security, and will enjoy watching their reverse mortgage line of credit grow every month.

If you want to learn more about the strategic use of home equity in retirement, please subscribe to my blog and purchase my book, Understanding Reverse.

Dan Hultquist