*the views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Federal reserve bank of Philadelphia or the Federal reserve system. you’ve probably heard of reverse mortgage loans. but even though these loans have been getting more attention in the media and in academia, it’s possible that you’re still not sure about what reverse mortgages really are.1 ost pe...

Location efficient mortgages (LEM) programs are an increasingly popular approach to combating urban sprawl. LEMs allow families who want to live in densely-populated, transit-rich communities to obtain larger mortgages with smaller downpayments than traditional underwriting guidelines allow. LEMs are premised on the proposition that homeowners in such “location efficient” areas can safely be al...

Home equity conversion as presently constituted or proposed usually does not deal well with the potential problem of moral hazard. Once homeowners know that the risk of poor market performance of their homes is borne by investors, they have an incentive to neglect to take steps to maintain the homes’ values. They may thus create serious future losses for the investors. A calibrated model for as...