Reverse mortgages, available to homeowners 62 and older who have equity in their home, allow homeowners to get cash from that equity without selling their home -- and without making monthly payments as long as the homeowners are still using the home as their principal residence. It works similarly to taking out a line of credit on your home, but with different options for taking out the money, such as with a fixed monthly payment or an open line of credit that you can choose to access at anytime. Likewise, a reverse mortgage statement resembles a line of credit statement.
Look for the current principal limit line on your statement. This is the maximum amount that your principal on the mortgage can reach. If your mortgage reaches this amount, you will not be able to receive any more payments on your mortgage. Near this amount, you should also see the total amount still available to you.
Find the current annual percentage rate. This is the current interest rate being charged to your mortgage for any money you received from the reverse mortgage. This interest gets added to your mortgage loan balance every month.
Read the section with the details of your monthly transactions. This will list all withdrawals or payments made to you, interest and other fees added to your mortgage. This will be added together and your current total principal on the loan will be stated.
Look for any notice of an interest rate change on your monthly statement. If you have an adjustable interest rate, it will adjust each year in the month that you started the reverse mortgage.
References
- All Reverse Mortgage Company: Sample Reverse Mortgage Statement
- Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information. "Reverse Mortgages." Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
- National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association. "Senior Housing Wealth Reaches Record $7.14 Trillion." Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "How the HECM Program Works." Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
- American Advisors Group. "What is a HECM for Purchase Loan?" Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. "Reverse Mortgages: What Consumers and Lenders Should Know." Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). "What Happens to My Reverse Mortgage When I Die?" Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). "How Much Will a Reverse Mortgage Loan Cost?" Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "HECM Counseling Fees." Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Program (HECM) Fact Sheet." Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). "How Much Money Can I Get With a Reverse Mortgage Loan, and What Are My Payment Options?" Accessed Mar. 10, 2020.
Writer Bio
Lynn Anders has more than 15 years of professional experience working as a zookeeper, wildlife/environmental/conservation educator and in nonprofit pet rescue. Writing since 2007, her work has appeared on various websites, covering pet-related, environmental, financial and parenting topics. Anders has a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies and biology from California State University, Sacramento.