This week on HECM World Weekly, Gabrielle Hayen looks at a series of connected stories reshaping the retirement and home-equity landscape.

U.S. mortgage-holder equity has reached a record $18 trillion, even as homeowners continue to move less and stay in their properties for longer.

At the same time, home equity investment companies are expanding, policymakers are looking at the cost of aging in place, millions of older Americans are still working, and new retirement-income benchmarks raise an important question: how well does the income retirees actually have align with the lifestyle they expect to maintain?

We also cover HUD’s revived $465 million HECM loan sale and what it means for the reverse mortgage market.

In this episode:

The bigger theme: as more wealth sits inside homes that people increasingly want to keep, housing equity is becoming harder to separate from the broader retirement-planning conversation.

Read the full HECM World Weekly article here: https://hecmworld.com/2026/08/14/hecm-world-weekly-record-equity-meets-the-great-stay-as-heis-scale-and-retirement-costs-rise/

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Home equity investment companies are winning attention with a simple pitch: no debt, no interest, no monthly payment.

So how should reverse mortgage professionals respond?

In this HECM World Food For Thought, LoanDepot reverse mortgage leader Lisa Moriello explains why loan officers should stop trying to out-simplify HEI marketing — and instead reframe the conversation around the homeowner’s long-term financial outcome.

Lisa explores:

As Lisa puts it: “We’re never going to out-market a venture-backed app with a slick onboarding flow … but we can out-explain them every single time.”

For reverse mortgage professionals facing growing competition from HEIs, this is a practical framework for having a more credible, transparent and effective client conversation.

Watch the full Food For Thought with Lisa Moriello and read the article here

Visit hecmworld.com for more reverse mortgage news, insights and industry education.

Americans aren’t moving like they used to, and that could permanently change how they access home equity.

In this edition of Industry Leader Insights, HECM World speaks with Brian Fox, co-founder at Benutech, about the rise of the “stay-put economy.”

Benutech’s analysis shows traditional refinance activity falling almost 80% between 2021 and 2025, while equity lending increased 15%.

So what happens when homeowners protect their low-rate first mortgage, remain in place longer and look for other ways to unlock housing wealth?

Brian discusses why this shift may be structural, what it means for older homeowners, why downsizing no longer delivers the same financial relief—and how reverse mortgages could become an increasingly important “stay-put” financial tool.

Watch the full interview now.

Read the full article here and make sure you subscribe at hecmworld.com so you don’t miss a thing.

View the Benutech report https://www.benutech.com/the-stay-put-economy-how-rising-rates-transformed-american-homes-from-stepping-stones-into-fortresses 

This week on HECM World Weekly, we look at how America’s housing wealth is holding firm—but the way homeowners are using it is changing.

July’s HECM endorsement volume remained relatively subdued, while Finance of America reported strong year-over-year growth across its retirement solutions business. We also examine Rocket Mortgage’s new campaign positioning home equity as a potential alternative to high-interest credit-card debt.

Plus, new Bankrate research raises questions about whether older refinancing borrowers are paying more than they should, home prices continue to rise across most metropolitan markets, and families inheriting homes report growing difficulties retaining valuable low-rate mortgages.

Finally, new retirement research reveals that many Americans are more worried about running out of healthy years than running out of money—and what that could mean for the role of housing wealth in retirement planning.

In this episode:

For more reverse mortgage news, analysis, research and industry insights, visit HECMWorld.com and subscribe on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

In this Food For Thought episode, Jesse Allen, President of 55 Plus Lending at Rate, shares the lessons he's learned after more than 30 years in banking, financial services and mortgage lending—and after helping hundreds of mortgage professionals build successful careers.

Rather than focusing on compensation alone, Jesse explains why lasting success comes from choosing the right platform, the right culture and the right leadership.

Built around his simple framework of Focus, Systems and Discipline, this conversation offers practical advice for loan officers, mortgage leaders and anyone evaluating their next career move.

In this episode you'll discover:

Whether you're an experienced originator or just starting your mortgage career, these principles provide a valuable framework for building something that lasts.

https://hecmworld.com/2026/08/05/food-for-thought-what-really-builds-a-successful-mortgage-career/

Subscribe to HECM World for more expert insights from the leaders shaping the future of reverse mortgages and home equity finance.

In this Industry Leader Insights episode, HECM World sits down with John Lunde, Founder and President of Reverse Market Insight (RMI), to explore one of the biggest questions facing the industry today.

Drawing on more than 20 years of reverse mortgage market data, John shares his perspective on the trends that have shaped the industry, why record senior housing equity hasn't translated into record reverse mortgage volume, and what lenders, loan officers and business leaders need to do differently to unlock the opportunity ahead.

In this episode you'll discover:

Whether you're a reverse mortgage professional, lender, broker, executive or industry partner, this conversation provides valuable insights into where the market has been—and where it's heading next.

https://hecmworld.com/2026/08/03/industry-leader-insights-senior-housing-equity-is-at-record-highs-so-why-havent-reverse-mortgages-taken-off/

Subscribe to HECM World for the latest reverse mortgage news, expert interviews and industry insights from across the United States. 

The Federal Reserve has held interest rates steady, but growing inflation concerns could keep mortgage rates higher for longer — adding another layer of complexity for older homeowners and the reverse mortgage industry.

In this week's HECM World Weekly, we look beyond the headlines to unpack what the latest economic, housing and retirement data really means for the industry.

We cover:

Older Americans continue to hold extraordinary levels of housing wealth. But with inflation, higher rates and retirement uncertainty changing the financial landscape, how that equity is used — and the products available to access it — is becoming increasingly important.

For more reverse mortgage news, research and industry insights, visit HECM World.

https://hecmworld.com/2026/07/31/hecm-world-weekly-fed-holds-rates-as-inflation-pressure-builds-while-housing-equity-tells-a-more-complicated-story

Borrowers are already using artificial intelligence to compare reverse mortgage options and double-check the recommendations they receive from loan officers.

Should reverse mortgage professionals be worried?

Christina Harmes, CRMP, says no—but their value is changing.

After several prospects used AI to analyze the loan scenarios she presented, Christina discovered that the technology largely confirmed her recommendations and increased the borrowers’ trust. The experience also highlighted something AI cannot easily replace: emotional intelligence.

A reverse mortgage decision is rarely just about rates, proceeds or loan structure. Homeowners may also be worried about their independence, family, legacy, long-term security or whether using home equity means they have somehow failed.

In this edition of Food for Thought, Christina explains how reverse mortgage professionals can combine technical expertise with empathy, active listening and trust.

You’ll learn:

AI can do the math. The competitive advantage is understanding the person behind the numbers.

Subscribe to HECM World for reverse mortgage news, insights and professional strategies.

https://hecmworld.com/2026/07/29/food-for-thought-as-ai-reshapes-reverse-mortgages-emotional-intelligence-becomes-the-advantage/

Is the reverse mortgage industry’s biggest opportunity still ahead?

According to ATTOM’s Head of Data Science, Aaron Wagner, the data says yes.

In Part Two of this Industry Leader Insights series, Andrew Montesi sits down with Aaron to explore the future of housing equity, the biggest forces shaping property wealth over the next five years, and why America’s enormous equity base continues to support a strong long-term outlook for reverse mortgages.

Aaron explains why tenure-driven equity, built through decades of homeownership, is fundamentally different from appreciation-driven equity, why housing supply may be the most underestimated force supporting home values, and how AI is transforming the future of property intelligence.

In this episode:

If you work in the reverse mortgage industry, understanding where housing equity is heading, and why, has never been more important.

🌐 Read the article: https://hecmworld.com/2026/07/27/industry-leader-insights-data-points-to-a-massive-long-term-opportunity-for-reverse-mortgages/

Senior housing equity has reached another record, but that's only part of this week's story.

In this episode of HECM World Weekly, we unpack the biggest developments shaping the reverse mortgage, housing equity and retirement industries, including:

Whether you're a reverse mortgage professional, lender, financial planner or housing industry leader, this episode brings together the week's most important news and explains what it means for the future of housing equity.

Read the full article: https://hecmworld.com/2026/07/24/hecm-world-weekly-record-senior-housing-equity-rising-retirement-costs-and-a-bigger-conversation-about-housing/

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