About 49% of older consumers have a favorable view of reverse mortgages, yet many more remain skeptical about these types of loans, have not heard of them or feel they do not know much about them.
Researchers at Financial Freedom, a reverse-lending unit of IndyMac Bank F.S.B., Irvine, Calif., found when they commissioned a survey of about 1,100 people ages 62 to 75 that 40% said they have heard, read or seen some information about reverse mortgages. This is about the same percentage as in 2006.