Home equity could make a difference for long-term care funding

Didier Malagies • January 4, 2024


As the U.S. population grows older with each passing year, looking for new and novel ways to fund long-term care for the aging population could include home equity. A reverse mortgage can certainly play into this, but another growing dynamic is the divide between higher- and lower-income homeowners.


This is according to “Housing America’s Older Adults 2023,” the latest edition of a report published by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) in December.


As the gap between high- and low-income homeowners widens, the equity they’ve built up in their homes could make a difference in the equation. But unlike higher-income seniors, lower-income homeowners are more likely to maintain an existing forward mortgage on their property, which could make a Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-backed Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) more attractive.


“Even though HECMs were established specifically to ensure that older adults can convert their equity to cash as they age, they are less common than other products designed for accessing equity,” the report reads. “According to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), only about 64,500 HECMs were originated in FY2022.”


The situation worsened the following year, as HECM endorsements dropped roughly 50% in 2023 compared to data from the prior year according to FHA’s 2023 Annual Report to Congress.


Research conducted by both Chris Mayer and Ohio State University (OSU) researcher Stephanie Moulton suggested that “tighter underwriting standards and borrowing limits established in the wake of the Great Recession, combined with the exit of several major lenders from the reverse mortgage market, served to reduce originations from earlier levels,” the report said.


A lack of both “awareness and understanding of HECMs” alongside seniors’ aversion to tapping home equity or their desire to hold it in reserve to protect against a severe financial shock may also suppress demand, the explanation stated.


Lower-income seniors may also find it challenging to use reverse mortgages when attempting to access home equity, and these challenges can be compounded by other factors.



“[I]ndividuals who have faced a lifetime of barriers to accessing a quality education, a well-paying job, meaningful healthcare, and stable housing will have fewer financial resources to draw on as they age,” the report said. “The public and private sectors are both crucial to ensuring that the nation’s most vulnerable older adults are able to age with dignity in their homes and communities.”



Have A Question?

Use the form below and we will give your our expert answers!

Reverse Mortgage Ask A Question


Start Your Loan with DDA today
Your local Mortgage Broker

Mortgage Broker Largo
See our Reviews

Looking for more details? Listen to our extended podcast! 

Check out our other helpful videos to learn more about credit and residential mortgages.

By Didier Malagies December 1, 2025
✅ Why mortgage rates can rise even when the Fed cuts rates Mortgage rates don’t move directly with the Fed Funds Rate. Instead, they are primarily driven by the 10-year Treasury yield and investor expectations about inflation, recession risk, and future Fed policy. Here are the main reasons this disconnect happens: 1. Markets expected the rate cut already If investors already priced in the Fed’s cut weeks or months beforehand, then the cut itself is old news. When the announcement hits, mortgage rates may not fall—and often rise if the Fed hints at fewer future cuts. 2. Fed cuts can signal economic trouble Sometimes the Fed cuts because the economy is weakening. That can cause: Investors to worry about higher future inflation, or A “risk-off” move where money leaves bonds Both of these drive the 10-year yield UP, which pushes mortgage rates UP even though the Fed cut. 3. Bond investors wanted a bigger cut If markets expect a 0.50% cut but the Fed only delivers 0.25%, that’s seen as “too tight.” Result: 10-year yield jumps Mortgage rates move higher 4. Fed messaging (“forward guidance”) matters more than the cut Example: The Fed cuts today, but says: “We may need to slow or pause future cuts.” That single sentence can raise mortgage rates, even though short-term rates just went lower. 5. Inflation surprises after the cut If new inflation data comes in hot after a Fed cut, the bond market panics → yields go up → mortgage rates go up. Quick summary Fed Cuts Rates Mortgage Rates Move ✔ Expected or priced in Can rise or stay flat ✔ Fed hints at fewer future cuts Often rise ✔ Inflation remains sticky Rise ✔ Economy looks unstable Rise ❗ Only when 10-year yield falls Mortgage rates fall tune in and learn https://www.ddamortgage.com/blog didier malagies nmls#212566 dda mortgage nmls#324329
By Didier Malagies November 28, 2025
 New conforming loan limits increase to $832,750, which is great considering we have had price decreases on homes this year. So if you put down 3% the purchase price would be $858,051, and 5% down would be $876,578. Why would that matter? Well, you go above, and you are in Jumbo territory, where you have to put 20% down vs the 3% or 5% down. So, really great news that there is an increase, and when rates do come down, there will be all the homeowners who have the low interest rates, probably make a move to either downsize or upsize on their home, which will create activity and an increase in home prices. So overall, exciting to see the loan amounts increase to help offset the higher home prices tune in and learn https://www.ddamortgage.com/blog didier malagies nmls#212566 dda mortgage nmls#324329
By Didier Malagies November 24, 2025
This is a subtitle for your new post
Show More