Reverse Mortgage Principal Limit Explained

January 15, 2024

I am 87 and received a HECM Loan. The maximum claim is $250,000. Due to age and other factors, the credit limit was due to reach the maximum claim. Withdrawals were denied when the balance was around $225,000, and no withdrawals have been allowed since the servicer has been getting compound interest each month. HUD has been accessing fees and premiums. Maybe I’m delusional, but something doesn’t add up here. Am I wrong?

Table of Contents

• Understanding the Maximum Claim Amount

• Maximum Claim Amount in Principal Limit Calculations

• HECM Reverse Mortgage Benefits by Ages

• Understanding the Growth Feature of Your Reverse Mortgage Line of Credit

• Initial Disclosures and the Importance of Monthly Statements

• Steps to Take if You Have Questions

• FAQs

Understanding the Maximum Claim Amount

The Maximum Claim is used to determine your reverse mortgage benefits or loan proceeds, which is known as the Principal Limit. The Maximum Claim Amount is determined by the lower of one of three things: the appraised value of the property, the purchase price on a purchase transaction, or the HUD lending limit in effect at the time.

Once the Maximum Claim Amount is determined, the HECM calculator then considers other factors, age(s) of the borrower(s), value, and current interest rates at the time to determine the Principal Limit or proceeds available for the borrower(s) under the reverse mortgage program.

Borrowers need to remember, though, that the Maximum Claim Amount that they see at the start of their loan is defined by the CFPB as:

The lesser of the appraised value of the home, the sale price of the home being purchased, or the maximum limit HUD will insure. The maximum claim amount is one factor used to calculate how much a homeowner can borrow with a reverse mortgage loan. -CFPB

Maximum Claim Amount in Principal Limit Calculations

The Maximum Claim Amount is just one of the factors used in the calculation to determine how much money the borrower will receive in the Principal Limit or loan amount. It is not a maximum benefit to be paid out to the borrower with the loan.

The Maximum Claim Amount will usually be the appraised value of the property but, at times, can be less if the transaction is a sale when the home is sold at a price that is less than the appraised value or when a property is valued higher than HUD’s stated Maximum Claim Amount for the program.

For example, in 2024, HUD’s stated program Maximum Claim Amount is much higher than when you received your loan due to housing prices increasing significantly since then. In 2024, the Maximum Claim Amount will be $1,149,825.

When a borrower’s home is valued above the Maximum Claim Amount, it doesn’t mean they cannot get a reverse mortgage. It means they will not receive further proceeds when the home is valued above that limit.

A borrower with a home valued at $1,300,000 with all the same factors (age, rates, etc.) would receive the same amount of money as a borrower with a property valued at $1,149,825 due to the Maximum Claim Amount, but depending on how they draw their funds and how they allow their lines of credit to grow, either one could far outlast the other based on their borrowing patterns.

HECM Reverse Mortgage Benefits by Ages

Age of Borrower	Principal Limit Factor	Current Lending Limit
tablepress547

Principal Limit Factors are sourced from HUD.gov and reflect today’s current rates. To determine your net principal limit, be sure to subtract reverse mortgage costs, including upfront mortgage insurance (approximately 3%). You can view the official PLF tables here: https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/august2017plftables.xls

Understanding the Growth Feature of Your Reverse Mortgage Line of Credit

You have the line of credit program (if you had the fixed rate program, you would have been required to take a full draw at the start of the loan, and there would not have been any additional funds available for subsequent payments).

It has a growth feature that allows the funds remaining in the line to grow at the same percentage as your interest plus your Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) combined.

So, for example, if the interest on your loan was 2.5% and your MIP is .5%, the unused funds in your line of credit would grow in availability at 3%. Each year, that rate changes as your interest accrual rate changes.

Therefore, your Principal Limit, or the loan proceeds available to you, will fluctuate based on the draws you take (your Principal Limit is reduced by the amount of draws you take from your line) and the growth of your credit line (your line increases by the amount of the growth on the line based on the unused portion).

Initial Disclosures and the Importance of Monthly Statements

Borrowers receive initial disclosures with amortization schedules that give examples of the relationship between the Maximum Claim Amount and the Principal Limit, but unfortunately, they are only estimates and cannot possibly accurately foretell future interest rates or borrower borrowing habits.

They are only examples and can vary significantly once borrowers begin taking draws and interest rates change. This is why borrowers need to pay attention to the monthly statements they receive from their servicer.

The statement breaks down everything happening on the loan every month. We have an article online to help people read and understand their statements at: https://reverse.mortgage/understanding-statement.

Steps to Take if You Have Questions

If this general explanation doesn’t answer all your questions or if your servicer’s statement is different and doesn’t look the same, don’t hesitate to contact them and make them explain it to you.

If you need further assistance, there are attorneys and counseling companies that advertise low-cost assistance who can advocate for you so that you don’t wait until after you are out of funds to find out there was a misunderstanding of the Maximum Claim Amount and Principal Limit.

Also, if you received your loan that long ago, you might benefit from a refinance now under new values and new Maximum Claim Amounts, and that’s worth looking into.

FAQs

What is the principal limit on a reverse mortgage?

The principal limit is essentially the loan amount on a reverse mortgage. It is the total amount of money available to borrowers based on their specific loan parameters.

Who sets the principal lending limit factors? (PLF)

HUD determines the principal limit factors if it is a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM). The lender only sets the principal limit factor if it is a Non-HUD insured Proprietary reverse mortgage.

How is the reverse mortgage principal limit calculated?

3 pieces of information determine the principal limit factor. For a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), those are the Home Value (or Max Claim), whichever is less, the expected interest rate, and the age of the youngest borrower or spouse. The higher the value and the older you are, the higher the percentage of the principal limit factor will be. However, the higher the expected rate, the lower the principal limit factor. For proprietary products, the same 3 items factor into the calculation. The only difference is the higher the interest rate, the higher the principal limit factor on proprietary products.

What percentage of equity can you get on a reverse mortgage?

The percentage of equity you can get from a reverse mortgage will depend on the age of the youngest borrower or spouse, interest rates, and product type. The older you are, the higher the percentage for all product types. On the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program, the percentage ranges from 38% (Age 62) to as high as 72% (Age 96+) at current interest rate levels as of December 2022 but can go lower if there is a spouse who is younger than 62. However, when rates reach the floor for the HUD calculator, which they did as recently as 2021 and could do again in the future, the percentage ranges from 52% (Age 62) to as high as 75% (Age 92+). On Proprietary products, the percentage ranges from as low as around 29% (age 55) to as high as 51% (Age 87+).

What is a reverse mortgage maximum claim?

The reverse mortgage maximum claim is the cap on the value that can be used to calculate your principal limit. As of January 2024, the maximum Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) claim is $1,149,825. If you have a home value of $1,200,000, the principal limit will be determined using a value of $1,149,825. For proprietary products, the maximum claim is simply the home value, as the HECM limit does not cap them, and therefore, these products are popular for those with home values above the government limit.

ARLO recommends these helpful resources:

HUD’s 12-Month 60% Disbursement Limit Explained

America's #1 Rated Reverse Lender Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence.

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16 Comments on this Article

Pat
July 31st, 2024

I currently have a reverse mortgage with the current principal limit
of $153,387 with a loan balance of $125,345. The interest is
astronomical. On the current market, the house is worth $235,000.
Would it be feasible for me to re-negotiate the loan? Or is that even possible?
Reply to Pat
- Michael Branson
  July 31st, 2024
  
  Hello Pat,
  There really is nothing to "renegotiate." The interest is a product of the index plus the margin, so when rates rise for the index, the interest that accrues rises. Part of the problem is that interest rates have risen a lot lately. If you have a lender that gave you a 2.75% or 3.00% margin (or in some cases even higher) when you closed your loan, your interest now is accruing at a much higher rate than a loan that came with a 1.5% or lower margin. I also don't know if your loan was closed at a time when mortgage insurance renewals accrued at 0.50% or 1.25%. If you are at the higher accrual, the only way to change that would be to refinance the loan (more about that in a moment).
  Available margins are a function of the value of the loans, the profit margin the lender sets for itself, and what it costs lenders to originate those loans. The value is pretty much universal, but not all lenders have the same costs to originate or have decided to originate loans making the same amount of money on a per-loan basis. I always advise borrowers to compare several proposals from different lenders because something like a higher margin can cost you much more in the long run than, say, a slightly higher appraisal fee. I've seen people pay as much as a 1.75% higher margin to save $100 on their appraisal fee. That higher interest rate will cost them tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan in many cases.
  While you cannot renegotiate your current loan, you can repay the loan at any time without penalty. You can also choose to make payments at any time, even though none are required. I don't know your age, so it's probably not an option without having to bring cash in based on today's rates, but you can refinance the loan if it makes sense to do so when the rates decline. At that time, you would want to be sure to get the lowest margin possible so that the interest on the new loan accrues as slowly as possible. Rates have not come down enough yet to make it feasible for most borrowers to refinance, but the word coming out is that we may see the first rate reduction in September. One reduction alone won't be enough to bring the rates down to help most borrowers, but it's a start, so you should definitely watch the interest rate announcements.
  Reply to Michael
Steve
June 28th, 2024

Let's say you draw $100,000. Then pay that back in 30 days. How does that affect the line of credit?
Reply to Steve
- Michael Branson
  June 29th, 2024
  
  Hello Steve,
  If you draw money and pay it down, it not only makes the funds available again, but the unused portion of the line of credit will grow in availability. But that's assuming you do not pay the line down to a zero (-0-) balance. If you ever pay the entire outstanding amount and the balance owed is down to zero, the loan is paid in full and would be closed. You cannot keep the loan open with a zero balance.
  If you plan to pay the loan down soon after you open the loan and want to keep the loan open, you need to be sure to keep a small balance outstanding and not repay the entire amount. The interest that would accrue on a balance of under $10,000 is pretty nominal and ensures your loan is available to you in the future if that is your goal.
  Reply to Michael
Jim B.
April 2nd, 2024

Is a reverse mortgage possible for a 79 year old applicant on a home valued at $450,000 with a current mortgage of $280,000?
Reply to Jim
- Michael Branson
  April 17th, 2024
  
  Hello Jim,
  The factors that determine how much money a borrower receives with a reverse mortgage are the age of the youngest borrower on the loan (or eligible non-borrowing spouse), property value, and interest rates at the time. In today's rate environment, you would be short to close by a little over $77,000.
  Contrast this to a few years back when interest rates were below the HUD floor, and you still would have been short to close. At the HUD floor of 3%, you would be less than $4,000 short to close and would be able to bring that money in to close if you still wanted to do the loan.
  My point is that interest rates make a huge difference to reverse mortgage borrowers, as does your property value. Whereas it may not work for you today, a few rate cuts and some appreciation of your property may make it feasible more quickly than you might think. I would suggest that you consider going to our calculator at https://reverse.mortgage/calculator, and if you would like to have us contact you when rates decline, you can leave your email address, but that's entirely up to you.
  Reply to Michael
John
October 23rd, 2023

Mr. Auerswald, I am still a little confused about MCA. We all know that once 98% of MCA reached, investor can assign the mortgage back to HUD. However, what is MCA really mean here? I know on mortgage document, the maximum principal amount usually 1.5 times of appraisal value. Is this maximum principal amount MCA? Would you mind clarify for me? Thanks, John
Reply to John
- Michael Branson
  October 26th, 2023
  
  Hello John,
  
  98% of the Maximum Claim Amount referred to is the maximum amount that HUD will insure on the loan before the lender must assign the servicing and the loan to HUD. That Maximum Claim Amount is the cap on the value that HUD will allow the lender to use to determine the loan amount for borrowers on a reverse mortgage. So when the outstanding balance of a reverse mortgage approaches 98% of the original Maximum Claim Amount, the loan is assigned back to HUD. For example, HUD uses the property value or the maximum claim amount to determine the amount of money the borrower will receive based on the calculator for their circumstances. The loan amount available is known as the Principal Limit and is only a percentage of the Maximum Claim Amount that rises as borrowers age. That maximum claim amount now stands at $1,089,300. This means that if your home is worth up to $1,089,300, the maximum claim amount is the value of your home at the time the property is appraised, but if your home were worth more than $1,089,300 (i.e., $1.200,000), the HUD cap on that maximum claim amount would be $1,089,300 and that would be the amount that would be used in conjunction with the borrowers age(s) and interest rates to determine how much money the borrower(s) would receive with their reverse mortgage.
  
  For argument's sake, let's say the borrower receives $400,000 on a $1,000,000 property due to their age in today's market. The Maximum Claim Amount is $1,000,000; the Principal Limit is $400,000, and the loan documents will show a face amount of $1,500,000. The 98% rule is a rule that HUD has for lenders that says that the lender must assign the servicing to HUD if the loan to value reaches 98% of the original loan to value to protect their ability to receive claim payment. This is strictly between HUD and the lender, and lenders routinely make the assignment to HUD to avoid risking their insurance against the risk of loss. This loan must be assigned to HUD only when the outstanding balance reaches $980,000.
  
  The 1.5 times the value or 150% that you see on your loan documents is what HUD requires for states that require an amount to show on the loan documents. HUD would prefer that there is no mortgage amount on the loan documents because they do not know in advance what your balance may be in the future. After all, the balance can rise with interest accrual, and you have access to more money over time with the line of credit growth. However, most states require that an amount be shown to account for future interest accrual and possible line of credit growth. HUD instructs lenders to use 150% of the property value/maximum lending limit (whichever is less) on the Note and Deed of Trust/Mortgage.
  
  The face amount on the Deed of Trust differs from what you owe and has nothing to do with when the loan will be assigned to HUD. You only owe what you borrow and the interest that accrues on that amount plus any MIP that accrues, plus any fees accrued but not paid, and finally, any money that the lender may be required to advance on your behalf (i.e., if you do not pay your taxes and the lender is forced to advance this cost). Some borrowers never reach the 98% threshold because they borrow slowly, and the balance remains low. Some borrowers borrow more quickly, the balance rises faster, or their loans are much older, and their loans are assigned to HUD when their balance reaches 98% of the home's original value (or 98% of the maximum lending limit if that was lower). However, the 150% has no bearing on the assignment to HUD.
  Reply to Michael
Sergio S.
March 19th, 2020

What is the highest growth rate and what would PLF be for a 62-year-old?
Reply to Sergio
- Michael Branson
  March 19th, 2020
  
  Hello Sergio,
  
  The growth rate is equal to the interest rate plus the annual mortgage insurance premium (MIP) renewal being charged on the loan. Therefore, your growth rate would be dependent on the margin you received at the origination of your loan and that rate would change annually as the rate changes.
  For example, for ease of illustration, if your initial index rate started at 1% and your margin was 1.5% for an initial rate of 2.5%, you would add the annual MIP of .5% and your growth rate would be 3% in the first year. The growth rate in year 2 would depend on the index during that year to which the margin is added (plus the MIP). The higher the margin, the higher the growth rate on the unused funds but you also have to keep in mind that the higher the margin, the more interest you will accrue once you do start borrowing the funds.
  Also, once you exceed the HUD floor rate of roughly 3% on the expected rate, the higher the rate the less money you receive in your loan. The expected rate is based on a different 10-year index and is higher than the rate at which you accrue interest. HUD uses the 10-year index for the expected rate for only two functions; to determine how much money you will receive on the loan and for illustrative purposes on the initial documents (i.e. amortization schedule).
  
  Borrowers can sometimes benefit from a higher margin, especially when the goal is to experience the highest growth possible for many years before using the line. A higher margin will also give most borrowers a higher monthly payment if they are on the monthly payment plan and that is their goal.
  Bumping up against the maximum principal limit or even getting a slightly lower principal limit (loan amount) for a higher margin and more growth in the line over the long run may be in your best interest, especially when maximum funds in later years are what you seek. This is where it is best to compare the amortization schedules of different options to see which works best for you.
  
  The Principal Limit Factor (PLF) is the amount of money a borrower receives as a percentage of the value of their home. But again, the PLF is dependent on the interest rate. If the interest rate exceeds the floor, the PLF is affected and goes down. Also, if you are closer to 62 and a half, you will receive the benefit for a 63-year-old borrower.
  The best thing to do is to visit a calculator like the one we offer an online calculator to compare the different options available. We do not require your personal information such as your social security number, etc. and it is entirely your choice if you want us to contact you or not -it is not required to receive the information about the loan.
  We do need your date of birth as the calculator requires this to run the correct numbers but even then, if you don't want to give out that exact information, just use the first day of the month you were born and that's close enough! We are here to make it easy for you and then if you have any further questions, we look forward to being of assistance.
  Reply to Michael
  - Jamie B.
    May 28th, 2020
    
    I have had my reverse mtg. Since I was 62. I am now 71. My current net principal is $403.86... does this mean I have no more money left to receive? Can I redo the loan? My home has been appraised at $495,000.00. I owe current loan balance $290,906,00. Thank you
    Reply to Jamie
    - Michael Branson
      June 2nd, 2020
      
      Hello Jaime,
      The only way to know for sure if you qualify under HUD's rules for a refinance is to run the numbers when we have the actual statement and all the information (don't need your social security number or anything like that). We will need to know the information for your current loan and then we can check to see if the recent sales will support a refinance based on HUD rules. Try giving us a call at (800) 565-1722 and ask to speak with a licensed loan officer in your area.
      There is no obligation and if you do qualify under the HUD requirements, we will let you know and then it is up to you to decide if you want to go any further.
      Reply to Michael
Josephine C
January 9th, 2020

My current loan balance exceeds the original principal limit. What happens to my line of credit in this instance?
Reply to Josephine
- Michael Branson
  January 9th, 2020
  
  Hello Josephine,
  You retain access and full use of your line of credit for as long as you have funds remaining and you continue to abide by the terms of your loan. As long as you continue to occupy the property, pay the taxes and insurance in a timely manner and reasonably maintain the home, it doesn't matter what the balance rises to as that is all factored into the original HUD calculations.
  Reply to Michael
R. Hodnett
November 20th, 2019

How is the loan principle determined?
Reply to R.
- Michael Branson
  November 20th, 2019
  
  Good Afternoon,
  
  The Principal Limit (also often referred to as the benefit amount or the loan amount) is determined by a calculation which considers several pieces of information.
  The calculation uses the age of the youngest borrower on the loan, the value of the home or the HUD maximum lending limit, whichever is less, the age of the youngest borrower on the loan and current interest rates.
  The calculator then determines the benefit amount for each applicant (borrower or borrowers) based on the parameters and the benefit availability based on his/her/their ages.
  For example, if the Principal limit for two separate single borrowers is an equal $200,000 based on their circumstances, and their goal in each case is to get the tenure option, or payment for life, there can still be drastically different payments to each.
  Suppose the first borrower is 62 years of age. The $200,000 must last much longer than if the second borrower was 87 years of age, actuarially speaking. Therefore, the monthly payment to the 87-year-old borrower would be much higher each month than to the 62-year-old borrower.
  For the same reason the monthly payment is higher, if the two borrowers with the two different ages had the same valued home, the benefit to the older borrower would be much higher than to the younger borrower. A borrower 25 years older statistically will not live as long and accrue as much interest over the life of the loan as someone 25 years younger. The HUD calculator takes these factors into consideration when determining the benefit amounts.
  
  The calculator will only take so much information into consideration. It does not determine variances for married vs single borrowers, male vs female, healthy vs those with illnesses, smoker's vs non-smokers, etc.
  Rather than try to account for all circumstances, HUD's calculator will only use the one factor of age, and then it uses the age of the youngest borrower on the loan (it does not try to average, etc.).
  Reply to Michael

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