NAF targets reverse mortgage growth with ‘connective tissue’ marketing tactics

More than a year ago, New American Funding (NAF) launched a new marketing campaign that’s designed to inject a fresh attitude into how consumers view reverse mortgage products.

Unlike NAF’s multimillion-dollar forward mortgage campaign, “Hell Yeah You’re Buying a Home,” which was announced last month, the reverse-centric “Old Wives” campaign isn’t something you’ll find on major TV networks or streaming platforms.

But according to Kevin Thomson, the company’s executive creative director, “Old Wives” and its underlying “Retire Like a Boss” messaging has had a positive reception.

“I think people really enjoyed that we didn’t talk to this older generation the way that maybe a lot of other brands do. We talked to them like the bosses that they are,” Thomson said in an interview with HousingWire’s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD).

“I think, because of that, we’ve seen some really good response, really strong engagement and a lot of requests from LOs for more ‘Retire Like a Boss’ content.”

‘Connective tissue’

Thomson explained that NAF’s forward lending campaign is already gaining a foothold on popular streaming apps like YouTube, Hulu, Disney+ and Peacock. But the company has taken a different tact with the “Old Wives” campaign, limiting it to social media channels and print collateral that’s distributed to wholesale broker and real estate agent partners.

“We are currently in the process of bringing some of these stories to life through videos, so really excited for that as well,” he said, adding that the company is likely to release these videos by the end of this year.

Senior-held home equity dropped slightly at the end of 2024 but remained high at nearly $14 trillion. This presents ample opportunity for all reverse lenders to connect with older Americans and meet a variety of financial needs.

Thomson said that NAF is looking to create cohesion between its forward and reverse messaging. This could help younger Americans understand the reverse product earlier in life, and it could be useful for younger generations who may be helping their parents or grandparents obtain a reverse mortgage.

“I think there’s a lot of connective tissue between the two campaigns. Both are about empowerment and confidence and showing how NAF is committed to you for the long haul,” he said.

“I think that creating a campaign like this really speaks directly to the boomers in this older generation, but also in a way that appeals to folks that are in the sandwich generation, where you’re taking care of your kids and you’re taking care of your parents, so you’re sort of managing both of those things at once.”

Spurring company growth?

NAF’s market share across the forward and reverse channels is roughly 1%, although its reverse presence lags further behind the industry’s leaders.

According to data from Inside Mortgage Finance, the California-based lender ranked 28th in the nation with $7.5 billion in forward originations during the first six months of this year — up 23% on annualized basis. That’s roughly 10% of the volume that the leading leader, United Wholesale Mortgage, did during the same period.

Reverse Market Insight reported that NAF endorsed 245 Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) during the year ending in June 2025, ranking 19th nationally. That equates to less than 4% of the endorsements of the No. 1 reverse lender, Finance of America (FOA).

Shannon Robinson, senior vice president of NAF’s reverse division, told RMD via email that the company is “committed to expanding its presence in the reverse mortgage market through strategic hiring and talent acquisition.” It has grown “tremendously” in the past two years, she added.

Robinson went on to say that the company’s growth strategy in the reverse channel involves enhanced product offerings to “meet the diverse needs of our customers.” Like many of its competitors, NAF offers proprietary reverse loans that target borrowers who either don’t qualify for a HECM or may be looking for a larger loan that exceeds HECM limits.

The company is continually developing and refining its operations “to support efficient and effective loan origination and servicing,” and it’s working to strengthen relationships with business partners and referral sources, she added.

“By executing on this strategy, we are confident that NAF can increase its market share and become a more significant player in the reverse mortgage industry,” Robinson said.