Reverse mortgages move ahead with seniors

Washington -- When the last baby boomers retire, Americans 62 and older will have about $37 trillion in home equity waiting to be tapped, a lenders group says.

Given that eye-popping amount, word is spreading about how seniors can use reverse mortgages to tap into money locked in their homes, the Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday.

Borrowers are expected to take out 120,000 of the most popular reverse mortgage this year, the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association said. With reverse mortgages, homeowners receive a lump sum, a monthly amount or a line of credit and don't have to repay the debt for as long as they live in their homes.

Lenders aren't the only ones pushing reverse mortgages. AARP, the National Council on Aging, federal agencies and others have launched campaigns to help seniors understand how they can use their home equity to pay for long-term care and other retirement expenses.

"We're telling older Americans that one of their retirement nest eggs -- besides Social Security, pensions and 401(k)s -- may be the nest itself," said Barbara Stucki, who has overseen the council's Use Your Home to Stay at Home project.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.