During a conference call with industry leaders on Thursday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said it hopes to roll out a new reverse mortgage product on Oct. 4, 2010.

The new “HECM Saver” will be a low cost reverse mortgage product insured by the Federal Housing Administration.  Unlike the standard HECM, which has a 2% upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP), the HECM Saver lowers the cost of entry for borrowers by charging only 0.01% upfront MIP.  The product will also have an annual MIP of 1.25%.

Offered as both a fixed and adjustable rate, the HECM Saver will have principal limit factors roughly 11-23% lower than the standard product.  While it doesn’t provide as much in proceeds to borrowers, it’s designed as low cost alternative to a home equity line of credit (HELOC).

During the call, HUD described the HECM Saver as “merely a different pricing option,” noting the rest of the product will remain the same as the HECM standard.  However, many in the industry see it as a big opportunity to broaden the appeal of reverse mortgages by offering a low cost product to consumers.

HUD said a Mortgagee Letter describing the HECM Saver should be out before September 14th.

http://reversemortgagedaily.com/2010/08/26/new-reverse-mortgage-product-coming-in-october-says-hud/