Reverse mortgage lenders must give borrowers a list of at least five approved counseling agencies before taking a final application or charging fees, and they must get counseling certification first.
§1102. Counseling A.(1) Prior to accepting a final and complete application for a conventional reverse mortgage loan or assessing any fees, a reverse mortgage lender shall provide the prospective borrower with a list of at least five nonprofit counseling agencies that have been approved by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for counseling and that offer counseling to residents of the state. The counseling agencies shall meet the standards and requirements established by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for reverse mortgage counseling. (2) In connection with a conventional reverse mortgage loan, a mortgage lender shall not pay any counseling service fees without first informing the prospective borrower in writing that this may create a conflict of interest. A reverse mortgage lender shall disclose to the prospective borrower in writing any other payment arrangements or business affiliations between the lender and a counseling agency. B. A reverse mortgage lender shall not accept a final and complete application for a conventional reverse mortgage loan from a prospective applicant or assess any fees upon a prospective applicant without first receiving a certification from the applicant or the applicant's authorized representative that the applicant has received counseling from an agency described in Subsection A of this Section. The certification shall be signed by the borrower and the agency counselor, and shall include the date of the counseling and the name, address, and telephone number of both the borrower and the counselor. An electronic facsimile copy of the housing counseling certification shall satisfy the requirements of this Section. Acts 2010, No. 418, §1.