A big chunk of your membership is aging into a tough math problem: retirement income goes down, but the monthly mortgage payment stays the same and property taxes, insurance, and healthcare costs keep climbing. That’s why we sit down with Chris Mayer, CEO of Longbridge Financial, to talk about the product many credit unions still avoid, reverse mortgages, and why the avoidance may be costing members real options and costing credit unions real relationships.

We use HMDA data as the starting point and then get specific about what it’s signaling. Chris shares why older borrowers are frequently denied under standard underwriting, especially when debt-to-income ratios are high, and the borrower is living on a fixed income. We talk through how an FHA-insured HECM reverse mortgage and newer proprietary reverse mortgage products can create a different outcome: access home equity with no required monthly principal and interest payments, designed to support aging in place.

We also tackle the two biggest blockers we hear from credit unions: the stigma around the term “reverse mortgage” and the fear of losing the member relationship if the loan is originated or serviced elsewhere. Chris explains how the right partner can respect the existing relationship, and we outline a practical first step any credit union can take immediately: review your recent denials and incomplete applications for members over 62 to see who could have qualified with a reverse option.

If you care about financial wellness, member retention, and serving members for life, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a teammate, and leave a review with your biggest question about reverse mortgages so we can keep the conversation going.

Sponsored by Polygon Research

Summer recess doesn’t mean the mortgage policy world takes a break. Peter Benjamin sits down with Leah Dempsey, Shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Scheck, to map the fast-moving DC updates that directly affect credit union mortgage lending, regulatory compliance, and the day-to-day work of keeping loans flowing for members.

We start with the people who set the tone at the top: John Crews is confirmed as the new NCUA chairman, and Brian Johnson is progressing toward becoming CFPB director. Leah explains what happened in Senate Banking, why the CFPB remains politically charged, and why leadership changes matter when agencies are actively shaping rules that touch everything from disclosures to supervision.

Then we dig into the policy fights. We walk through the House Financial Services push for CFPB reform, including the idea of requiring cost-benefit analysis in rulemaking, revisiting how broadly UDAAP is interpreted, and rethinking oversight mechanics. A key practical issue for credit unions is the CFPB supervision threshold, with proposals to move it from $10 billion to around $21 billion and the real compliance and exam burden that can arrive the moment a credit union crosses the line.

Finally, we unpack the CFPB’s request for information on mortgage credit issues and why TRID keeps coming up. We talk about technical timelines, disclosure overload, and whether a new wave of targeted changes could make mortgages easier to deliver without sacrificing consumer protection, especially during a housing affordability crisis. If you care about TRID, TILA-RESPA, CFPB supervision, and what’s coming next in fall hearings and the midterms, this one is for you.

Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more credit union mortgage professionals can find the show.

Sponsored by Optimal Blue

HMDA is sitting in plain sight, and most lenders still treat it like a once-a-year reporting requirement. We think that’s a huge miss. HMDA data is a public record of mortgage applications and outcomes that links lenders, borrowers, loan products, and geography, making it a market map for any credit union trying to grow smarter and serve members better.

We’re joined by Val Buresch, CEO of Polygon Research, to break down what HMDA actually captures and why executives should care. We dig into the story the latest dataset tells, including the surprising rise in HELOC originations and what it means when independent mortgage banks start gaining ground in categories that credit unions often “own.” We also get practical about opportunities hiding in the numbers, especially secondary market execution with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae, and how liquidity and product depth can expand without abandoning relationship strategy.

Then we turn insights into an action plan. We talk candidly about whether the data support the credit union's mission, where pricing shines, and where outreach across the broader community can fall off. Val points to a signal leaders should not ignore: “Approved Not Accepted,” when a borrower is approved and still walks away. We also cover what to watch in DC, including CFPB activity around disclosures, the growth of non-QM and DSCR investment-property lending, fair-lending risk, and how AI is changing the way market intelligence is used.

If you want to use HMDA for mortgage strategy, member engagement, fair lending alignment, and real competitive analysis, press play. Subscribe, share this with a lending leader, and leave a review so more credit union teams can find the show.

Sponsored by Polygon Research