A Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage is a real, fully licensed product from one of the three largest reverse mortgage lenders in the United States. Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc. (NMLS #1025894) has originated FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgages since 2018, and it also offers a proprietary jumbo product called SecureEquity. The company is legitimate. The more useful question for a homeowner in Bend or anywhere in Deschutes County is not whether the lender is trustworthy, but whether a national operation or a local specialist is the better way to get the same FHA loan.
Most people searching for a Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage are doing exactly the right thing: checking out a name they recognize before they hand over any personal information. This page gives you the facts on the company, the products, the reviews, and the costs, and then it lays out honestly where a national lender and a local reverse specialist actually differ. Nothing here is a knock on Mutual of Omaha. It is a well-regarded lender doing serious volume in this space.
Brian Albrich and Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Mutual of Omaha, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc., Synergy One Lending, or Retirement Funding Solutions. Company and product names are used here only for identification and comparison.
Is a Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage Legitimate?
Yes. Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc. is a subsidiary of Mutual of Omaha, the Fortune 500 insurance and financial services company founded in Omaha, Nebraska in 1909. The mortgage arm entered the reverse space in 2018 by acquiring Synergy One Lending and its reverse division, Retirement Funding Solutions, and rebranded the reverse business under the Mutual of Omaha name in 2019. It reports licensing in 49 states, and it is accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.
By volume, it sits at the very top of the industry. Through June 2026, Mutual of Omaha recorded 2,567 retail HECM endorsements year to date, roughly 19 percent of the market, placing it third behind Finance of America at about 23 percent and Longbridge Financial at about 20 percent. Those three lenders together account for a little under 56 percent of all HECM originations. Mutual of Omaha has traded between second and third place month to month through 2026.
One thing worth understanding before you compare any lenders at all: a HECM is insured by the Federal Housing Administration, and every HECM follows the same HUD rulebook no matter whose name is on the letterhead. The age requirement, the counseling requirement, the non-recourse protection, the principal limit factors, and the borrower obligations are identical at Mutual of Omaha, at Fairway, and at every other approved lender. If you want the mechanics in plain language, start with how a reverse mortgage works.
Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage Products: HECM and SecureEquity
The Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage lineup covers the three things most retirees ask about: the standard FHA loan, the purchase version, and a jumbo option for higher-value homes.
| Product | Who It Is For | 2026 Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HECM (FHA-insured) | Homeowners 62 and older in a primary residence | FHA lending limit of $1,249,125, the same at every lender |
| HECM for Purchase (H4P) | Buyers 62+ moving to a different home | One closing, larger down payment, no required monthly mortgage payment |
| SecureEquity and SecureEquity+ | Owners of higher-value homes, from age 55 in most states | Proprietary, loan amounts up to $4 million, no FHA insurance premium, not offered in every state |
| Payout options | All HECM borrowers | Lump sum, monthly advances, growing line of credit, or a combination |
SecureEquity is the interesting piece. Because it is a proprietary product rather than an FHA one, it can reach further than a HECM on a high-value home and can open to borrowers as young as 55 in many states, though some states set a higher minimum. It also carries no FHA mortgage insurance premium. The tradeoff is that proprietary products are not offered everywhere, the terms are set by the lender rather than HUD, and the protections are contractual rather than federally insured. Availability changes, so confirm current state coverage directly with any lender before you count on it.
Fairway offers its own set of proprietary reverse options with a similar shape, including a reverse second mortgage that lets a homeowner keep a low first-mortgage rate, and a proprietary route for a condo without FHA project approval. Different lenders carry different proprietary programs, which is the single best reason to get more than one quote.
Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage Reviews and Reputation
Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage reviews land where most large-lender reviews land: strong on the institution, mixed on the individual experience. The company holds an A+ rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, and its Trustpilot standing is generally favorable. BBB customer reviews, which are a much smaller and more self-selected sample, average closer to 3.2 out of 5.
Read enough of them and a pattern shows up that has very little to do with the brand. The positive reviews name a specific loan officer who explained things patiently and returned calls. The negative reviews describe communication gaps, a file that went quiet, or a closing that took longer than expected. That is not unique to Mutual of Omaha. A reverse mortgage involves an independent counseling session, an appraisal, title work, and HUD underwriting, and when nobody is narrating those steps, a normal timeline feels like a stall.
The practical takeaway is that with any large lender you are choosing a person as much as a company. Ask who your loan officer is, whether that person handles reverse mortgages full time, and who will pick up the phone in year three when you want to draw on your line of credit. Those questions matter more than a star rating. If you are still weighing whether the product itself is sound, is a reverse mortgage a scam walks through what is real and what is not.
Comparing offers? Get a second set of numbers.
Brian will run your figures side by side with whatever quote you already have, explain any line you do not recognize, and tell you honestly if the other offer is the better one. No application, no pressure.
What a Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage Costs
On the FHA side, most of what a Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage costs is set by HUD rather than by the lender, which surprises people who expect the same spread they see on a traditional mortgage. An upfront mortgage insurance premium of 2 percent of the home's appraised value or the FHA limit, whichever is less, plus an annual premium of 0.5 percent charged on the outstanding balance, applies identically everywhere. The origination fee is capped by a HUD formula, and third-party charges such as appraisal, title, recording, and the counseling fee are what they are in your market.
What genuinely varies between lenders is the interest rate margin, whether the origination fee is charged at the cap or discounted, and which proprietary programs are on the shelf. Those differences are real and they compound over the life of the loan, which is why comparing two written quotes on the same home value and the same payout structure is worth an afternoon. No honest lender will quote you a rate before pulling your specifics, and no honest lender will promise a particular number in advance.
Two things to watch for on any quote, including one from a national call center. First, make sure you are comparing the same payout option, because a fixed-rate lump sum and a growing line of credit produce very different numbers. Second, look at the total upfront costs rather than the headline rate alone. For the broader picture on where this loan helps and where it does not, see reverse mortgage pros and cons.
Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage vs a Local Reverse Specialist
Here is the comparison stated plainly, without spin. A Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage and a Fairway reverse mortgage are, on the HECM side, the same FHA-insured loan with the same federal protections. Both companies are large, licensed, and experienced. The differences are about how the loan gets delivered and who stays with you afterward.
| What You Are Comparing | Large National Lender | Local Specialist (Brian, Fairway) |
|---|---|---|
| The HECM itself | FHA-insured, HUD rules | FHA-insured, identical HUD rules |
| How you meet | Usually phone and email, branch depending on location | In person in Bend, at Brian's office or at your kitchen table |
| Local market knowledge | National underwriting view | Knows Deschutes County values, appraisers, and title companies |
| Family involvement | Possible by conference call | Adult children and advisors welcome in the room |
| Who you reach later | Whoever is on the queue that day | The same cell number you have been calling |
For some homeowners the national route is genuinely fine, particularly if the situation is simple and they prefer to handle everything by phone. For others, especially when adult children are involved or the property has something unusual about it, sitting across a table from someone who can drive out and look at the house is worth a great deal. Neither answer is wrong.
It is also worth knowing which lenders are not in this market at all. If your current loan is serviced by Mr Cooper or you have been looking at Rocket Mortgage, neither originates reverse mortgages today, so those searches end without a product.
What Every Reverse Mortgage Requires of You
These terms apply to a Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage, a Fairway reverse mortgage, and every other FHA-insured HECM, because they come from HUD rather than from any lender:
- Age. Borrowers must be 62 years of age or older to qualify for a HECM. Certain proprietary reverse mortgage products may be available to borrowers as young as 55, depending on the state and program.
- You keep the title. With a reverse mortgage you keep the title to and ownership of your home. The loan is a lien, exactly like a traditional mortgage. No lender takes your house at closing.
- Ongoing obligations. You remain responsible for paying property taxes, homeowners insurance, and any HOA dues; for maintaining the home; and for occupying it as your primary residence. Failure to meet these obligations may cause the loan to become due and payable.
- Non-recourse. A HECM is a non-recourse loan, so you or your heirs will never owe more than the home is worth at the time the loan is repaid.
- Counseling. Before obtaining a HECM, all borrowers must complete a counseling session with a HUD-approved reverse mortgage counselor, who is independent of the lender.
A reverse mortgage is a home-secured loan that must be repaid. Proceeds are loan proceeds rather than income, so they are generally not treated as taxable income, though you should confirm your own situation with a tax advisor. The full eligibility picture is laid out in reverse mortgage requirements.
Reverse Mortgage Options for Bend and Central Oregon Homeowners
Bend is an unusually good fit for this conversation. About 21 percent of Deschutes County residents are 65 or older, well above the national share, and that group has been growing faster than the county as a whole. Median home values in Bend sit near $700,000, roughly double where they were ten years ago, which means a lot of longtime owners are sitting on equity they never planned for.
That local math has practical consequences. A Bend home comfortably under the 2026 FHA limit of $1,249,125 works cleanly as a standard HECM. A home on Awbrey Butte, in Broken Top, or out near Tetherow may be worth more than the FHA limit, and that is where a jumbo or proprietary product, whether SecureEquity from Mutual of Omaha or a comparable Fairway program, becomes the relevant comparison. Getting that call right is worth a local conversation.
Brian Albrich works out of 601 NW Harmon Blvd in Bend and meets homeowners across Bend, Redmond, Sunriver, Sisters, La Pine, and Prineville, and he will drive to you if that is easier. He is glad to have your spouse, your adult children, and your financial advisor in the conversation, and if a reverse mortgage is not the right move for you, he will say so. For the local picture, see the Bend reverse mortgage guide, or the statewide Oregon reverse mortgage overview.
Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mutual of Omaha a good reverse mortgage company?
By the standard measures, yes. Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc. (NMLS #1025894) is one of the three largest HECM originators in the country, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating, and reports licensing in 49 states. Its HECM is the same FHA-insured loan every approved lender offers, under the same HUD rules. Individual experiences vary with the loan officer assigned to your file, which is true at any large lender.
What is the minimum age for a Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage?
Borrowers must be 62 years of age or older to qualify for a HECM, which is a federal requirement rather than a company policy. Mutual of Omaha's proprietary SecureEquity product may be available to borrowers as young as 55 in many states, though some states set a higher minimum. Proprietary programs and their age rules vary by lender and by state, so confirm current terms directly.
How much can you get with a Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage?
On a HECM, the 2026 FHA lending limit is $1,249,125, a single nationwide figure that applies in Deschutes County and every other county. Your actual available amount depends on the age of the youngest borrower, current interest rates, and your home's value, subject to eligibility and approval. Mutual of Omaha's proprietary SecureEquity product reaches loan amounts up to $4 million for higher-value homes where it is offered.
Does Mutual of Omaha offer reverse mortgages in Oregon?
Mutual of Omaha Mortgage reports licensing in 49 states, so Oregon homeowners generally can work with them on a HECM. Availability of the proprietary SecureEquity product is narrower and changes over time, so confirm current Oregon coverage with the lender before planning around it. Bend and Central Oregon homeowners can also work with a local Fairway reverse specialist for the same FHA-insured HECM.
What do Mutual of Omaha reverse mortgage reviews say?
Reviews are strong at the company level and mixed at the individual level. The lender is BBB accredited with an A+ rating and holds a generally favorable Trustpilot standing, while BBB customer reviews average closer to 3.2 out of 5. Positive reviews usually credit a specific loan officer for patient explanation, and critical ones usually cite communication gaps or a longer than expected closing.
Is Brian Albrich affiliated with Mutual of Omaha?
No. Brian Albrich and Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Mutual of Omaha, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc., Synergy One Lending, or Retirement Funding Solutions. Those names appear here only to help Bend and Central Oregon homeowners compare their options accurately.
Compare Your Mutual of Omaha Reverse Mortgage Quote
If you have a quote in hand or you are just starting to look, Brian will walk through the numbers with you in Bend, explain what is driving each figure, and give you a straight answer about whether it is a good deal. No obligation.
Brian Albrich, NMLS #91018 · Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, NMLS #2289. Not affiliated with Mutual of Omaha or Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, Inc. This is not a commitment to lend.