Reverse mortgage industry descends on California for first NRMLA event of 2025

Reverse mortgage professionals are preparing to travel to Irvine, California, for the industry’s first event of the year, hosted by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA).

The association’s Western Regional Meeting is a one-day affair on Tuesday, April 29, that will aim to offer attendees a closer look at the current dynamics of the industry — including some discussion about the fluctuating nature of federal policy.

But it will also largely be a forward-thinking affair as some high-profile guests are set to offer actionable insights for industry participants, according to NRMLA President Steve Irwin.

One-day format

“For a one-day regional meeting, we’re very pleased,” Irwin said in an interview with HousingWire’s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD). “We’re looking at just about 150 registrants from 75 different companies across the country.

“Just as important is the strong interest in these regional events — as well as our annual ones — from loan officers, compliance personnel, senior vice presidents, EVPs and even C-suite participants.”

Irwin said that the one-day format for the regional meetings helps to keep the momentum of the event elevated while also keeping concerns of cost-conscious attendees in mind.

“What we’re very aware of is the time commitment involved in traveling to these events, and we’ve found that attendees really appreciate shortening the time they need to be away,” he said. “Structuring it this way also helps us keep costs down for attendees.”

While it’s possible the association will have another regional event beyond the previously announced Annual Meeting and Expo in October in Minneapolis, nothing has yet been determined. But members will be notified once plans are finalized, Irwin said.

Policy discussions, LO perspectives

As far as this event goes, the nature of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program under the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) brings up natural curiosity about what NRMLA is focused on regarding policy, he explained.

“There’s a lot of question and concern from members about what’s happening at the federal level — both with the [Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)] and with legislative priorities coming out of Capitol Hill,” Irwin said. “We expect those to be central themes among attendees as they head to Irvine.”

But NRMLA’s board will also aim to look even further ahead by engaging members on-site about the potential dynamics of the industry beyond that scope.

“I’m most looking forward to a more future-looking discussion,” Irwin explained. “Our board co-chairs will kick things off with a conversation about how the association can be more nimble in the coming years and how we can continue to represent the reverse mortgage industry effectively.”

This will include an interactive conversation with a panel of reverse mortgage LOs on the dais and in attendance. All of them are expected to share stories about what has and hasn’t worked in their businesses — and ways to navigate emerging concerns from their clients.

“It’s critically important that every one of our events includes loan officer perspectives — how they can best hone skills, share experiences, and talk about perceptions in the marketplace and acceptance of home equity monetization as a finance tool,” Irwin said.

Expanded guest pool, proprietary products

Irwin is also excited about a broader field of guests that will be participating, including Dr. Richard Green, a real estate economist and director of the University of Southern California (USC) Lusk Center for Real Estate.

Green will deliver a lunchtime keynote speech on home equity extraction and the financing of long-term care.

“His work is incredibly relevant — not just to our industry, but to a broader national and global conversation as we deal with aging populations,” Irwin said.

Also on the schedule is Bill Gross, a real estate broker with eXp Realty who will speak about business strategies.

“He doesn’t appear at a lot of events, but he’s in tune with the reverse mortgage ecosystem, impressed by its participants and supportive of the concept of monetizing home equity,” Irwin said of his Gross. “He’ll speak about sales development and strategy, which I’m really looking forward to.”

There will also be a session dedicated to proprietary reverse mortgages featuring representatives from companies like Finance of America (FOA), Longbridge Financial and Smartfi Home Loans. With recent accelerations in proprietary product news, it’s expected to be a big topic of conversation.

“We know there are gaps in the FHA-insured product,” Irwin said. “Proprietary products address those — whether it’s condominium lending, higher home values or younger borrower ages. It’s just necessary that we continue to examine, discuss and include the growing landscape of proprietary products.”

RMD will be in attendance at NRMLA West in Irvine. Be sure to say hello!