Key facts
- Atlantic Avenue Mortgage endorsed 110 HECM loans in April, a 34% increase from its 12-month rolling average.
- loanDepot was the second-highest ranked broker with 43 HECM endorsements in April.
- Overall HECM origination volume has seen a significant decline over the past several years.
- Proprietary reverse mortgages are gaining popularity due to greater flexibility and higher loan proceeds.
- Private-label reverse mortgage origination volume exceeded HECMs in the first quarter of 2026.
Atlantic Avenue Mortgage led the nation in Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements for April, with 110 loans, marking a 34% increase from its 12-month rolling average. This performance places it at the top of rankings compiled by Reverse Market Insight (RMI) and published by HECMWorld.com, indicating continued strength among top brokerages in originating federally insured reverse mortgages.
loanDepot followed in second place with 43 endorsements in April, contributing to its 12-month rolling total of 456. Caliver Beach Mortgage and C2 Financial Corp. also maintained strong positions, with West Capital Lending climbing to the fifth spot. The data reveals that while individual brokerages like Atlantic Avenue Mortgage are seeing gains, the overall HECM market has experienced a significant decline from its peak.
Nationally, HECM origination activity among the top 100 lenders saw a 6% increase from May but is down 9.8% year-to-date. This trend aligns with a broader, multi-year decline in HECM endorsements, which have fallen from over 114,000 in fiscal year 2009 to 28,172 in FY 2025, the lowest in 22 years. This decline has coincided with a surge in demand for proprietary reverse mortgages.
Proprietary, or private-label, reverse mortgages surpassed HECMs in origination volume during the first quarter of 2026, reaching $953 million compared to $875 million for HECMs. Industry professionals note that proprietary loans offer greater flexibility, allowing for higher loan values on more expensive homes and enabling borrowers to pay off debt to qualify, features not available with FHA-insured HECMs. Additionally, proprietary products are more accommodating for financing non-FHA-approved condominiums.