A reverse mortgage (or lifetime mortgage) is a loan available to seniors, and is used to release the home equity in the property as one lump sum or multiple payments. The homeowner's obligation to repay the loan is deferred until the owner dies, the home is sold, or the owner leaves (e.g., into aged care).

In a conventional mortgage the homeowner makes a monthly amortized payment to the lender; after each payment the equity increases within his or her property, and typically after the end of the term (e.g., 30 years) the mortgage has been paid in full and the property is released from the lender. In a reverse mortgage, the home owner makes no payments and all interest is added to the lien on the property. If the owner receives monthly payments, or a bulk payment of the available equity percentage for their age, then the debt on the property increases each month.

If a property has increased in value after a reverse mortgage is taken out, it is possible to acquire a second (or third) reverse mortgage over the increased equity in the home. But in certain countries (including the United States), a reverse mortgage must be the only mortgage on the property.

To qualify for a reverse mortgage in the United States, the borrower must be at least 62 years of age. There are no minimum income or credit requirements, but there are other requirements and homeowners should make sure that they qualify for the loan before they invest significant time or money into the process. For most reverse mortgages, the money can be used for any purpose; however, the borrower must pay off any existing mortgage(s) with the proceeds from the reverse mortgage and, if needed, additional personal funds. A pending bankruptcy which has not been finalized may, however, slow the process. Some types of dwellings do not qualify, while others (like mobile homes) have special requirements (such as being on an approved permanent foundation and built after 1976) in order to be approved. Before borrowing, applicants must seek third party financial counseling from a source which is approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The counseling is a safeguard for the borrower and his/her family, to make sure the borrower completely understands what a reverse mortgage is and how one is obtained.

What are the costs and interest rates associated with Reverse Mortgages?

The cost of getting a reverse mortgage from a private sector lender may exceed the costs of other types of mortgage or equity conversion loans. Exact costs depend on the particular reverse mortgage program the borrower acquires. For the most popular type of reverse mortgage in the U.S., the FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), there is an insurance premium of 2% of the loan and an origination fee in addition to normal closing costs, which are typically several thousand dollars, but vary depending on the third-party costs (appraisal fees, title searches, etc.) which must be undertaken. The origination fee is capped by the FHA. The cap is 2% of the first $200,000 and 1% thereafter, with an overall cap of $6000. Thus a $200,000 loan would have approximately $8,000 in costs beyond the normal closing costs added onto the loan at the outset. Other programs skip the insurance premium but still require the origination fees and closing costs. In addition, a monthly service charge (between $25 and $35) is usually added to the total amount of the loan.

In all of these cases, the costs of a reverse mortgage can typically be financed with the proceeds of the loan itself, with the costs and fees being rolled directly into the principal balance of the loan, rather than paid by the borrower in cash. While this does permit borrowers with little or no available cash to get a reverse mortgage, it means that the initial loan principal will be increased, and consequently, that the fees will begin accruing interest. Since there are no payments made during the course of the loan, the compound interest accrued on the principal plus fees are added to the principal of the loan.

Interest rates on reverse mortgages are determined on a program-by-program basis, because the loans are secured by the home itself, and backed by HUD, the interest rate should always be below any other available interest rate in the standard mortgage marketplace for an FHA reverse mortgage. Prior to 2007, all major reverse mortgage programs had adjustable interest rates. Such adjustable rate reverse mortgages are still being offered which are adjusted on a monthly, semi-annual, or annual rate up to a maximum rate.

Several lenders now offer FHA HECM reverse mortgages that have fixed interest rates. Some of these mortgages have interest rates that are similar to the current FHA/VA rate plus the mandatory mortgage insurance premium. Some fixed rate reverse mortgages limit the cash proceeds to half of that offered by adjustable rate reverse mortgages. The borrower(s) will be required to take out the entire amount offered at closing.

Some state and local governments offer low-cost reverse mortgages to seniors. These "public sector" loans generally must be used for specific purposes, such as paying for home repairs or property taxes, but most of them often have more favorable interest rates and fewer or no fees associated with them. These programs are typically very restrictive in terms of qualification and location, and many regions, states, and areas do not have such programs at all.