Five Reverse Home Mortgage Scoundrels To Check Out For
By wholly accounts, reverse home mortgage growth is lay to explode. Baby boomers are catching retirement and, for most, home equity makes up the largest factor of their nest egg. Reverse mortgages will be the equipments that many of these retirees will make use of to tap into this nest egg for retirement living expenses. The number of new HUD Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) already has enlarged more than percent in the first nine months of 2006 over the equal period one year ago.
But along with reverse home mortgage enlarged come stepped up opportunities for fraud and scams. Reverse mortgages are different from traditional mortgages in processes that build them attractive vehicles for scam artists:
• reverse mortgages are products specifically designed for and targeted to senior citizens, the population group most vulnerable to fraud;
• scam artists detect that a reverse mortgages support the senior homeowner with relatively easy access to a sizeable pool of cash; and,
• reverse mortgages are harder to understand than traditional mortgages making it easier for the scam artist to confuse and pick profit of victims.
In this article we look at several of the tactics scam artists are utilizing and the precautions reverse mortgage borrowers can take to protect themselves.
Scam Tactic One - Downplay Pre-Loan Counseling
An educated borrower is the scam artist’s worst enemy - but it’s up to the borrower to educate themselves and take profit of counseling and other possibilities to understand about reverse mortgages.
Entirely three main reverse mortgage strategies - HUD HECM, Fannie Mae’s Home Keeper and Financial Freedom - want potential borrowers to belong counseling with an independent counselor specially trained in reverse mortgages before picking out a loan.
In a recent Detroit-area fraud case, a corrupt lender was able to keep the borrower in the dark about the measure she was eligible to borrow. She thought her loan would be for $61,000 when in real she was borrowing $103,000. Guess who pocketed the $42,000 difference? A thorough counseling session would have given the homeowner an precise idea of the reliable sum she was eligible for. Unfortunately for the victim, the prosecutor in the case tells this never happened:
“A counseling meeting explaining the reverse mortgage technique was wanted by Financial Freedom before the loan could be processed. Mr. James allegedly said Ms. Schultz that he would be able to waive the counseling meeting by just asking a few doubts over the phone.”
Precaution: Although counseling by telephone is allowed, it is always most beneficial to meet face-to-face with the counselor. If you find that anyone you’re operating with in the technique suggests that counseling can be done quickly over the phone or otherwise downplays the importance of pre-loan counseling, be highly suspicious.
Scam Tactic Two - Forgery
Forgery is a key part of some scams. In the Detroit case cited above, the lender requested the title company to schedule two controls payable to the homeowner: one for $61,000 which the homeowner accepted and a second one for $42,000 which the corrupt lender endorsed with a forged signature and deposited into his posses account.
In one California case, two con artists - one bringing as a financial advisor the other a handyman - sure an elderly homeowner to remove a reverse mortgage to get for home repairs. The financial advisor opened an account for the proceeds of the loan and forged the victim’s name to gain access to budgets.
Another California case reported in the Santa Cruz Sentinel shows how dangerous it can be to sign “unfinished” documents:
Mrs. Sally Scott is 66 years old. While she accepts Social Security and pension assures, she still can’t make ends meet. She saw an ad for a “reverse” mortgage - a loan that allows seniors age 62 or older to accept cash by borrowing against their homes and does not necessary repayment as long as they live there. Searching a little financial cushion, she spoke to a mortgage broker nearly a $10,000 reverse mortgage.
When she get the loan papers, she noticed that the loan measure was $200,000. The broker promised that he’d alter the figure, but insisted that she sign the paperwork first. Trusting the agent, Mrs. Scott signed.
A week later, she get a assure for $200,000. She immediately notified the agent, who apologized for the mistake and instructed her to wire the money back. As it turned out, the account that Mrs. Scott returned the money to belonged to the broker. He disappeared, leaving her with a mortgage in default and no formula to repay the loan.
Precaution: Never sign documents with blanks to be filled in or corrections to be built later. Carefully protect access to your checking out and other accounts. Review and reconcile assuring account and loan statements regularly. If you discover something awry, contact your financial institution immediately.
In the Detroit case cited above, the victim got on to the scam when she get a loan statement indicating the balance of her reverse mortgage (including interest) totaled $131,000.
Also, carry advantage of the free credit reports available to you under federal law. Reviewing your credit report each year is also a well process to acquire unauthorized financial activities under your name.
Scam Tactic Three - Charging for Free Reverse Mortgage Information
The complexity of reverse mortgages means that it is natural for borrowers to seek assistance and guidance to support them know the loan technique, get a lender or, usually, well know what they are reaching into. Some scammers have seized on this to give - for a expenditure - reverse mortgage info and services that are available to consumers at no charge.
For example, some senior homeowners have been contacted by firms giving to assist them in getting a reverse mortgage lender, in exchange for a percentage of the loan. This type of arrangement should always be avoided. According to HUD’s website:
HUD does NOT recommend exerting an estate planning service, or any service that charges a cost just for referring a borrower to a lender! HUD provides this reality without expenditure, and HUD-approved housing counseling agencies are available for free, or at minimal cost, to provide data, counseling, and free referral to a list of HUD-approved lenders. Call 1-800-569-4287, toll-free, for the name and location of a HUD-approved housing counseling agency near you.
Precaution: Walk away from anyone who puts up to discover a reverse mortgage lender for a expenditure. Exert the internet to find free fact roughly reverse mortgages or, study one of the some excellent books that have been released in recent years.
If you expect you have want for a professional financial planner to assess your comprehensive circumstance - including the reverse mortgage decision - find a certified financial planner (CFP) who operates on a fee-only basis and who is knowledgeable of reverse mortgages (more aren’t).
Scam Tactic Four - Posing as a Government or Non-Profit Representative
The most popular type of reverse mortgage - the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) - is an official program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). However, neither the HECM strategy nor other reverse mortgage programs are marketed directly to senior homeowners by government employees.
Unscrupulous reverse mortgage salesmen have been known to represent themselves to elderly homeowners as government representatives or volunteers for non-profit organizations.
Precaution: Be certain you find out who you are dealing with and what organization they represent. Do not be timid nearly asking for information such as their home office location and phone number. Use resources equal HUD and the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) to assure the company.
Scam Tactic Five - Bundling Things with Reverse Mortgage Financing
Smart consumers know that the most satisfactory way to shop for a car is to separate the parts of the transaction - purchase, financing and trade-in - from each another. With a bundled transaction, it’s easy for the consumer to be befuddled and not recognize the reliable fee of the overall deal. What appears to be a “good fee” on the car may mask exorbitant asset charges or a go down trade-in fee.
Similarly, a normal tactic of scam artists is to bundle reverse mortgage financing with something else such as home improvements, annuities, bad investments, living trusts or other estate planning products.
In one Seattle-area case, elderly consumers were stated that living trusts must be got in order to get a reverse mortgage. In another case, seniors were encouraged to take out a reverse mortgage and exert the proceeds to “invest” in truck-mounted billboards.
Frequently, two or many scammers function as a team. For example, in the California case cited earlier, an unscrupulous financial advisor steered the homeowner to a home repair contractor who was party to the scam and who grossly overcharged the victim for repair figure out.
If you find yourself dealing with someone who tries to bundle a reverse mortgage with another product or service or steer you to a specific contractor/lender, be highly suspicious. If you think at entirely uncomfortable or that the person is applying high-pressure sales tactics, walk away.
Precaution: When home improvements or estate planning services are required, shop for the greatest deal. It’s most beneficial for you to get what you’re looking for rather than them getting you. Homeowners should ward off doing business with anyone who comes uninvited to the door, builds an unsolicited phone call or whose name is found out randomly on a flier.
When you’ve found out the greatest deal, then weigh your financing selections - including a reverse mortgage. Preventing these results separate will protect you from possible fraud and help assure you acquire the most for your money.
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