Sunday, October 11, 2009

Marketing Reverse Mortgages to Seniors

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill warned Tuesday that aggressive marketing of reverse mortgages to seniors could be the nation's next financial fiasco if Congress doesn't enact legislation to bolster consumer protections and curb potentially abusive practices.

Most reverse mortgages are government-insured loans that enable seniors to convert part of the equity in their homes into tax-free income without having to sell the home, give up the title or take on a new monthly mortgage payment.

While reverse mortgages can help seniors who need additional income in retirement, they can be complicated and may not be the best choice for everyone.

A recent boom in the industry combined with aggressive marketing to a vulnerable population should make "everybody's antenna" stand up, McCaskill said.

Full Article and Source:
McCaskill Warns About Marketing Reverse Mortgages to Senior Citizens

3 comments:

StandUp said...

Reverse mortgages are another way guardians can use to make sure they'll get paid.

Be very careful.

Norma said...

Good point, Stand Up. Set up an elderly person by having him/her take out a reverse mortgage - and then take control of that person through guardianship/conservatorship.

A perfect scam!

Anonymous said...

I am glad to see Mc Caskill paying attention to this.