Fairway’s Christine Jensen on HECM reform and borrower misconceptions

After several years of specializing in reverse mortgage lending, Christine Jensen, senior vice president of reverse lending for the Central Region North at Fairway Home Lending, has seen the industry evolve as borrowers and financial advisers gain a better understanding of how home equity can fit into retirement planning.In the latest edition of the Monday Morning Q&A with HousingWire‘s Reverse Mortgage Daily, Jensen discussed how misconceptions about reverse mortgages remain a significant barrier to wider adoption. She also talked about how borrower attitudes toward debt have shaped perceptions of reverse mortgages, as well as the potential impact of changes to HECM mortgage insurance premiums.Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Sarah Wolak: How long have you been doing reverse mortgages? Christine Jensen: I did my first reverse mortgage probably 15 or 18 years ago, something like that. But I decided to go full time and make it my specialty in 2016, so 10 years ago now. Wolak: When you first got into the space, what was the sentiment around reverse mortgages? There are still some lingering misconceptions, but how has that evolved? What...