Reverse Mortgage Fees

 

Closing Costs

The three largest closing costs are the FHA mortgage insurance, the origination fee, and escrow fees. However, the only cost that is typically paid out of pocket is counseling.

Calculate Your Eligibility

FHA Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP)

One of the requirements for FHA insurance is that the borrower
is charged an up-front mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP) fee1 at closing and, over the life of the loan, is charged an annual MIP fee on the loan balance.

The mortgage insurance premium provides the following safeguards:

  • The HECM is a “non-recourse” loan. If you sell the home to repay the loan, you or your heirs will never owe more than the loan balance or the value of the property, whichever is less; and no assets other than the home must be used to repay the debt
  • If the lender becomes insolvent or otherwise fails to make payments due the borrower; MIP ensures that the borrower will continue to receive their payments

Origination Fee

The origination fee is what the reverse mortgage lender earns on the loan. The FHA uses a formula to determine what the lender can charge. The formula is:

  • 2% of the first $200,000 of the property’s value and 1% of the amount over $200,000
  • A maximum of a $6,000 origination fee
  • A lender can charge a HECM origination fee up to $2,500 if your home is valued at less than $125,000

Title Fees

Title is required for all mortgages whether reverse or conventional. The largest part of title fees is title insurance. Title fees are usually broken down into:

  • Title insurance (varies by state and with property value)
  • Title settlement
  • Title search/exam
  • Recording
  • Delivery/courier
  • Payoff (if a mortgage is being paid off)
  • Notary
  • Doc prep

Appraisal

An appraisal is required to determine your home’s value. A reverse mortgage appraisal is conducted by an FHA-approved appraiser and follows specific FHA guidelines that require more documentation than a typical appraisal. The cost of the appraisal can vary.

Other Closing Costs

  • Counseling
  • Wire Fee
  • Flood Cert
  • Credit Report

Interest

Interest and annual mortgage insurance premium accumulates on a reverse mortgage loan. However, instead of paying down the balance like you would on a traditional mortgage, the loan balance increases over time.

Interest Rate and Mortgage Insurance

The true interest rate is one and a quarter percentage points above the quoted rate because the total rate includes the FHA’s ongoing annual Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) charges. For example, if the quoted rate is 4.51%, with the annual MIP charges of .5%, the total rate would be 5.01%.

1The Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP) is based on a percentage of the Max Claim Amount. The Max Claim Amount (MCA) is based on the lesser of your home’s value, the current maximum lending limit set by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), or the purchase price (if purchasing a new home).