Lloyd Nicholas, 82, and his wife Gloria Hitchcock, 69, sat next to each other as they received counseling on a reverse mortgage, a loan that would allow them to cash out the equity in their home, pay off a mountain of bills and live comfortably as they age in the house they built 50 years ago.
But a change in rules on Monday by President Donald Trump's administration will shrink the amount they are set to get by more than $20,000. Without that money, they said, they will not be able to keep up with property taxes that they are already struggling to pay, afford increasingly frequent trips to the hospital and deal with unexpected expenses.
"This past week, I had to get my sewer pumped out for $360 dollars," Hitchcock said. "$360 dollars! It's adding up and we're falling behind."
The couple are among many elderly Americans who scrambled to secure reverse mortgages ahead of new restrictions that could put the loans out of reach for some or deliver substantially less money to others. As a result, more than a dozen mortgage counselors and lenders told Reuters they expect a significant drop in the loans from Monday.
Since emerging in 1990, more than a million seniors have taken out reverse mortgages, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), making them a popular but risky lifeline for asset-rich, cash-poor elderly Americans.
The loans allow homeowners age 62 or older to borrow against the value of a home, with no need to repay the loan until the borrower dies or sells the home. Borrowers receive payments on a monthly basis, in a lump sum, as a line of credit or a combination of the two -- often to pay bills, manage medical costs and supplement retirement income.
They also have been blamed for a rise in foreclosures among seniors. The uncertainty of home sale prices and rising interest rates, among other factors, have put the program itself under strain. In the 2016 fiscal year, it was valued at negative $7.7 billion.
In response, HUD is raising upfront premiums to 2 percent of the amount of a home's value, from 0.5 percent. The amount of money seniors can borrow against their home falls by about 10 percent.
Paul Cornell, president of the American Seniors Association conservative advocacy group, sees the change as positive for most seniors: annual mortgage premiums will fall to 0.5 percent from 1.25 percent, reducing payments and preserving more equity for seniors down the road.
"It will be much less of a burden for everyone," Cornell said.
But near term, the change will be painful for many seniors.
Back at Cambridge Credit Counseling in Agawam, Massachusetts, Nicholas, cane in his right hand, turned to Hitchcock, who was connected to an oxygen tank as a result of advanced lung disease.
"Why worry about it?" Nicholas said playfully. "We're going to die soon anyway."
The Scramble
For more than two years, Nick Kelly, 75, has debated whether or not to seek a reverse mortgage. Kelly, who has lived in his home in Baraboo, Wisconsin for 25 years, said headlines about foreclosures and warnings by family members about the risks "freaked me out completely."
But like many seniors, Kelly faces significant financial strain.