1,401,176 HECM reverse mortgages insured by FHA since 1989.
Your reverse mortgage options in about 2 minutes. No Social Security number or credit check.
Reverse mortgage question
Yes. You keep the title, and you still own your home. The lender holds a lien on it, the same way a regular mortgage or a home equity line does, but the bank doesn't own your house. You can sell it whenever you want, with no prepayment penalty on a HECM, and keep whatever equity is left after the loan is paid.
Yes. You still own your home. This might be the single most common myth about reverse mortgages, so let me be blunt about it: the bank does not take your house.
When you get a reverse mortgage, your name stays on the title. The lender records a lien against the home, just like with any mortgage. A regular mortgage works the same way. So does a home equity line of credit. The lien says the loan is secured by the home. It doesn't transfer ownership.
On an adjustable-rate HECM, there are actually two liens, one for the lender and one for HUD, which insures the loan. That's normal. A fixed-rate HECM pays out in one lump sum, so it usually has just the lender's lien. See Why Reverse Mortgages Have 2 Notes and 2 Deeds of Trust.
Because you own it, you keep the rights and the responsibilities of an owner:
And like any owner, you take care of it. There are no required monthly mortgage payments. You must continue to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance, maintain the home, and meet the other loan terms.
A few reasons. Older reverse mortgage products from decades ago worked differently, and some of those stories still get passed around. And people see that the balance grows instead of shrinking, so they assume the lender is slowly taking over the home.
That's not how it works. The balance growing means you owe more over time. It doesn't mean you own less of the title. Ownership stays with you until you sell, or until the loan is paid off after you're gone.
The same way you could with any mortgage: by not meeting the loan terms. On a HECM, the loan can come due if:
That's why we review your finances before the loan closes. See Reverse Mortgage Financial Assessment.
If your home is in a living trust, a HECM can often still work, as long as the trust meets HUD's requirements. If someone else is on your title, like an adult child, they'll generally need to sign loan documents, and some lenders will ask them to come off title before closing. Talk with me early about how your title is held, so we can sort it out before it slows anything down.
If you've been worried about losing ownership, I'm glad to walk you through the documents line by line. Bring your family. Call us at 530-888-6000, or get your estimate.
ZYNG Mortgage, Inc., NMLS #76801. A reverse mortgage has no required monthly mortgage payments and uses your home's equity. Fees, mortgage insurance and other costs can be added to the loan balance, and the balance grows over time as interest is added, so your equity typically decreases. When the loan becomes due, the home may need to be sold, or the loan repaid from other funds. Interest is not tax-deductible until it is paid, in part or in full. You keep title to your home and must keep paying property taxes, homeowners insurance and upkeep, and meet the other loan terms; not doing so can make the loan due and could lead to foreclosure.
This material is not from HUD or FHA and was not approved by HUD or a government agency.
HECM count at the top of this page: HUD data through September 2026 (source, opens in a new tab).
