Contact:
Darryl Hicks, 202-557-3556, [email protected]
National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association
For Immediate Release:
WASHINGTON (April 7, 2026) – Housing wealth among homeowners aged 62 and older declined slightly in the fourth quarter of 2025, falling less than one percent to $14.62 trillion, according to the latest release of the NRMLA/RiskSpan Reverse Mortgage Market Index (RMMI).
Since 2000, the RMMI has tracked reverse mortgage market opportunity by analyzing long-term trends in senior home values and home equity accumulation, offering a key benchmark for understanding the financial position of older homeowners.
The modest 0.83 percent decline in senior housing wealth was primarily driven by an approximate $100 billion decrease in home values, partially offset by a continued increase of roughly $21.8 billion in mortgage debt held by older homeowners.
According to RiskSpan’s analysis, housing price growth has begun to soften following a peak in mid-2025, while mortgage debt continues to rise gradually. This combination contributed to the slight moderation in senior home equity during the fourth quarter.
“While we saw a modest dip in housing wealth at the end of 2025, the overall level of home equity among older Americans remains historically strong,” said Steve Irwin, President of NRMLA. “For many retirees, housing wealth continues to be a critical component of financial security and retirement planning. Even in a moderating market, reverse mortgages remain a valuable tool to help seniors access that equity and meet their evolving financial needs.”
About Reverse Mortgages
Reverse mortgages are available to homeowners who are 62 and older with significant home equity. They are a versatile financial tool that seniors can use to borrow against the equity in their home without having to make monthly principal or interest payments as with a traditional “forward” mortgage or a home equity loan. Under a reverse mortgage, funds are advanced to the borrower, and interest accrues, but the outstanding balance is not due until the last borrower leaves the home, sells, or passes away.
To date, more than 1.3 million households have utilized an FHA-insured reverse mortgage to help meet their financial needs. For more information, please visit www.ReverseMortgage.org
About the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association
The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) is the national voice for the industry and represents the lenders, loan servicers, and housing counseling agencies responsible for more than 90 percent of reverse mortgage transactions in the United States. All NRMLA member companies commit themselves to a Code of Ethics & Professional Responsibility. Learn more at www.nrmlaonline.org.
About RiskSpan, Inc.
RiskSpan offers end-to-end solutions for data management, risk management analytics, and visualization on a highly secure, fast, and fully scalable platform that has earned the trust of the industry’s largest firms. Combining the strength of subject matter experts, quantitative analysts, and technologists, the RiskSpan platform integrates a range of data-sets–including both structured and unstructured–and off-the-shelf analytical tools to provide you with powerful insights and a competitive advantage. Learn more at www.riskspan.com.
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