Three women with prominent roles in the reverse mortgage industry took the stage Tuesday at the Reverse Mastermind Summit in Knoxville, Tennessee, sharing personal stories while converging on sales advice around the power of narrative, the importance of relationships with financial planners and the need for higher professional standards.
Christine Jensen of Fairway Home Mortgage opened the panel with a deep dive into how the Trump administration’s signature tax bill, passed last summer, has positively impacted mortgage insurance deductibility. Senior homeowners, she said, may be able to use these savings to capitalize on the HECM for Purchase program.
Christina Harmes of Barrett Financial Group followed with tips for connecting with clients and referral partners, stressing that emotional intelligence is a critically undervalued trait for loan originators. “The reverse mortgage sale is one of the highest trust sales that you could possibly be involved in,” Harmes said, adding that prospective borrowers are often afraid and human connection must come before numbers.
Lisa Moriello of loanDepot argued that loan officers need to “stop thinking like employees” and develop a business ownership mindset. At a time when Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements are averaging about 2,000 per month, the typical reverse LO is closing less than one deal per month, she said — a figure more akin to a “part-time job” rather than a career.
Jensen on tax deduction strategies
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed by President Donald Trump in July 2025 included a provision that made the mortgage insurance tax deduction permanent. According to U.S. Mortgage Insurers, about 40 million homeowners have used private mortgage insurance to purchase or refinance a home since 1957 — including 800,000 who bought a home with it in 2024.
Jensen walked the audience through a technical presentation she’d previously given to the Financial Planning Association, noting that the permanent deduction can be part of a powerful financial strategy for senior homeowners in retirement or planning for it. She also cited recent data from the National Association of Realtors showing that Americans over 60 make up nearly half of today’s homebuyers.
Jensen’s case study involved a hypothetical 72-year-old couple purchasing an $800,000 home with a down payment of $509,000, with roughly $314,000 of that amount financed through a HECM for Purchase loan. They also have a retirement account with a required minimum distribution of $63,000.
Using the reverse mortgage proceeds, they’re able to make no payments for two years while still accruing $63,000 in deductible mortgage interest and insurance. At that point, they can use the $63,000 distribution to make a lump-sum payment on the HECM. This fully offsets the taxable portion of the distribution and saves them $13,000.
Additionally, the couple could repeat the strategy every few years, with Jensen showing their total savings at roughly $27,000 after five years — an amount that exceeds their upfront costs for the reverse mortgage.
“I’ve got to tell you, when I showed the financial planners how this works, they had no idea that this was possible,” Jensen said.
Harmes: ‘It’s the connection that creates the relationship’
Harmes began her presentation with a deeply personal story about how reverse mortgages have the power to change and even save lives.
When she was a child, her grandfather sold his home and moved into an apartment rather than exploring financing options. After the move, he fell and broke his neck, wasn’t found for days, and the last six months of his life were “an absolute living hell,” she said.
Years later, when Harmes sold a reverse mortgage for the first time, her clients were already in a difficult position. The husband had recently been diagnosed with a serious illness and his wife was “terrified” of managing their home and finances alone. Harmes’s team helped the couple pay off a large debt, set up a monthly income replacement and establish a growing line of credit.
At the closing table, the wife embraced Harmes. “I could just feel the relief washing over her body. She knew she was going to be safe. She knew that at least the finances were going to be OK, even with whatever else she was facing,” Harmes said.
She advised originators to craft a personal origins story about why they got into reverse mortgages, then share it with every client and referral partner. For people new to the business, they should read books, find a mentor and not attempt their first loan without being prepared. Above all, she said, LOs should treat emotional intelligence as a skill to build over time as reverse mortgage clients are often facing difficult circumstances.
“Before you can cut through the static in their head, the worry, the fear … you need to be able to connect to your clients, and I have found the best way is storytelling,” Harmes said. “It’s the connection that creates the relationship, and it’s the relationship that creates the business.”
Moriello on goal setting and organic lead generation
After noting the “part-time” status of many reverse LOs, Moriello advised them to maintain a rolling three-month pipeline so they’re always looking ahead at new business rather than trying to shepherd every client through closing.
“Own your business. Decide what you’re going to do; decide what your goals are going to be. And you know what? Set the bar a little high. So what if you only get halfway there?” she said.
With many myths and misperceptions of the product still persisting, Moriello said LOs should never use the phrase “reverse mortgage” in their opening sales pitch. Instead, call it a “retirement opportunity” and lead with a benefits statement of 10 words or less. For example, when speaking with a financial adviser: “What if I can help you create a nontaxable stream of income for your clients in retirement?”
Moriello echoed some of Harmes’ remarks about community and relationship building. She has found that clients are often cultivated from grassroots efforts — like the grocery store or where your kids play sports. “I sat my rear end in an ice rink for six years while my girls played ice hockey,” she said. “I got more business out of that than any loan officer in my office did.”
She also recommended professional networking communities like ProVisors and the National Association of Divorce Professionals — the latter of which she described as “gold mine” for reverse mortgage referrals.
When it comes to time management, Moriello referred to the book, “212: The Extra Degree,” as a tool for turning small daily habits into meaningful long-term change and growth.
“One extra contact daily sparks more than 180 personal connections a year, so when you think that you had a good day, pick up that phone one more time,” she said.
