Michael G. Branson

CEO, All Reverse Mortgage, Inc. | NMLS #14040 | 45 Years in Mortgage Banking | Forbes Real Estate Council

Michael G. Branson is the CEO of All Reverse Mortgage, Inc. and the moderator of ARLO™, the reverse mortgage industry’s most widely used real-time pricing and eligibility calculator. He has 45 years of experience in mortgage banking, with the past 20 devoted exclusively to reverse mortgages.

In 2008, Michael developed the Gold Reverse, the first fixed-rate jumbo reverse mortgage brought to market in the United States. That program opened home equity access to borrowers in high-value real estate markets who had no viable reverse mortgage option under the FHA lending limits of the time. He was also part of the General Electric Mortgage Insurance Corporation team that structured and brought the first AAA-rated mortgage-backed securities to market in 1982, a transaction that helped establish the framework for secondary mortgage market standards still in use today.

Michael has been cited as a reverse mortgage authority by Forbes, Kiplinger, the LA Times, Yahoo Finance, HousingWire, Realtor.com, and the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association.

“I would rather you not get a reverse mortgage for the right reasons than get one for the wrong reasons.”

Career Background

Michael started in mortgage banking in the late 1970s as a loan originator in California, entering the industry at a time when rates were climbing past 10% and the market was anything but stable. That environment forced a practical education in risk that classroom training never could have provided. When origination volume dried up, he moved into loan servicing, where he handled borrower default cases, fraud investigations, and regulatory compliance work firsthand.

That background in compliance shaped what came next. At General Electric Mortgage Insurance Corporation, where he served as Western Regional Underwriting Vice President, Michael was part of the team that brought the first AAA-rated mortgage-backed securities to market in 1982. The early adjustable-rate mortgage programs of that era attracted significant fraud activity, and Michael worked directly with federal investigators as a government witness in several of those cases. It was hands-on experience with what happens when financial products lack adequate consumer protections, and it informed how he has approached lending ever since.

By the late 1980s and into the 1990s, wholesale mortgage fraud had become a serious industry problem. As a senior leader at Plaza Funding, Michael developed what became known in the industry as the Consequences of Fraud disclosure form, a document included in broker agreements that outlined the legal exposure brokers faced for misrepresentation. It met resistance at first. Within a few years, it had been adopted as standard by major mortgage insurers, including MGIC, and versions of it remain in use in lender agreements today.

He transitioned to reverse mortgages in the early 2000s, founding All Reverse Mortgage, Inc. in 2004 with the conviction that the HECM program was being underserved by lenders who treated it as a side product rather than a specialty. In 2008, his team developed the Gold Reverse, the first fixed-rate jumbo reverse mortgage in the country, giving borrowers with high-value properties a viable alternative to the FHA program for the first time.

Consumer Advocacy

Michael’s approach to reverse mortgages has always started with whether the loan actually makes sense for the borrower in front of him. Over the course of his career he has personally counseled thousands of homeowners through the evaluation process, and a meaningful number of those conversations ended with him recommending they not proceed. That has never been a difficult call.

His first reverse mortgage transaction was for his own mother. She used the proceeds to maintain the retirement she had built for herself, travel, go to baseball games, stay active. That experience gave him a reference point he has carried into every client conversation since. A reverse mortgage that fits the borrower’s situation well is a genuinely useful financial tool. One that doesn’t fit is just a costly mistake with a long tail.

All Reverse Mortgage has operated on a consumer-first model since its founding, well before the broader industry began moving in that direction. The company does not originate any other loan type. Reverse mortgages are the only product, which means every process, every training investment, and every rate negotiation is focused on one thing.

Credentials and Affiliations

All Reverse Mortgage, Inc. is a HUD-approved HECM lender operating under HUD Lender ID #26031-0007 and NMLS #13999. Michael holds an individual NMLS license #14040 and is a member of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association, whose Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility governs member conduct and consumer disclosures.

He is a member of the Forbes Real Estate Council and has contributed industry analysis and consumer guidance through that platform. His LinkedIn profile and NRMLA industry listing provide additional background for those conducting due diligence on their lender.

For media inquiries or direct consultation, Michael can be reached at mike@allreverse.com.

Content Authored by Michael G. Branson

The articles, guides, and Q&A responses published under Michael’s name on this site reflect his direct experience in the field. He personally reviews and moderates the ARLO™ question and answer section, where he has responded to thousands of reader questions about reverse mortgage eligibility, program comparisons, and loan mechanics. For the HUD-required consumer resource on reverse mortgages, see the HUD HECM consumer guide.