About Simply Approved Mortgages — honest reverse mortgage education for seniors 62 and older
Published:
Simply Approved Mortgages is an independent reverse mortgage education site covering HUD's HECM program, reverse mortgage eligibility, costs, and alternatives — explained the way we'd want our own parents to learn about them: clearly, slowly, and without sales pressure.
Get your Reverse Mortgage Estimate Summary.
Complete the short estimate form and we send back a full HECM summary: your estimated principal limit, complimentary home value estimate, payoff of any existing mortgage, and estimated proceeds available to you.
- Complimentary home value estimate
- Estimated principal limit for your age
- Existing mortgage payoff included
- Lump sum, line of credit, or monthly options
Illustration only, generated from the information you enter. Not a loan estimate, pre-qualification, commitment to lend, or approval. Subject to HUD counseling, appraisal, credit and income review, and final lender approval. You remain responsible for property taxes, insurance, and home maintenance.
Estimate summary
- Home value estimate
- $412,000
- Youngest borrower age
- 72
- Estimated principal limit
- $219,400
- Existing mortgage payoff
- $68,000
- Estimated proceeds available
- $151,400
Simply Approved Mortgages • NMLS #2620881 • Equal Housing Opportunity
What this site is
Plain-English education on the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage — the federally insured reverse mortgage that 95%+ of U.S. borrowers use. Pages reference HUD's published rules, FHA program documentation, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) consumer guidance as source material. We are not affiliated with HUD, FHA, or the CFPB. Where we present numbers, we cite the source — and where we present an estimate, we say so.
Simply Approved Mortgages has a Reverse Mortgage Division
Simply Approved Mortgages has a Reverse Mortgage Division. We are a licensed mortgage brokerage — not a lender — so our loan officers shop multiple HUD-approved HECM lenders on your behalf and present the options side by side. When you request an estimate here, it comes from our reverse mortgage loan officers, who focus on helping homeowners age 62 and older understand their options. Simply Approved Mortgages NMLS #2620881.
What we'll never do
- Obtain your credit report without your explicit written authorization.
- Push a HECM when an alternative is genuinely better — see our alternatives guide.
- Sell your contact information to third parties.
- Use fabricated testimonials, fake "trusted by" logos, or made-up statistics.
Sources we rely on
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) — Mortgagee Letters and HECM program rules.
- Federal Housing Administration (FHA) — HECM insurance and PLF tables.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — consumer-protection guidance.
- IRS published guidance on the tax treatment of loan proceeds.
Contact
Simply Approved Mortgages (NMLS #2620881)
Mon–Fri 9:00 AM–6:00 PM ET
Ready to get started? Get my estimate.
About Simply Approved Mortgages: FAQ
- Is Simply Approved Mortgages a lender?
- No. Simply Approved Mortgages is a licensed mortgage brokerage (NMLS #2620881) that shops multiple HUD-approved HECM lenders on your behalf and presents the options side-by-side.
- Does Simply Approved Mortgages charge a fee for an estimate?
- No. Requesting an estimate is free and does not commit you to any loan.
- Will you obtain my credit report without my permission?
- No. We obtain a credit report only after you provide written authorization as part of a loan application. HUD requires a Financial Assessment that reviews credit and payment history before a HECM can be approved.
- What sources does Simply Approved Mortgages rely on?
- HUD Mortgagee Letters, FHA HECM program rules and PLF tables, CFPB consumer guidance, and IRS published guidance on the tax treatment of loan proceeds.
- How do I reach Simply Approved Mortgages?
- Call during Mon–Fri 9:00 AM–6:00 PM ET or request a free estimate online, and a reverse mortgage loan officer will follow up.
- Is Simply Approved Mortgages licensed in my state?
- Simply Approved Mortgages LLC (NMLS #2620881) arranges residential mortgage loans, including HECMs, in Florida and Colorado only. If you live outside those two states, our loan officers cannot originate a loan for you, though our educational content remains free to read.
- How can I verify Simply Approved Mortgages' NMLS license?
- Search NMLS #2620881 on the NMLS Consumer Access website (nmlsconsumeraccess.org), which is run by state regulators and shows our license status, states of authorization, and any disciplinary history.
- How does Simply Approved Mortgages get paid?
- As a mortgage brokerage, we are typically compensated by the wholesale lender that funds your HECM, through the loan's interest rate and closing costs — the same fee structure any HUD-approved lender uses. We do not charge you a separate advisory fee to shop lenders on your behalf.
- What does a mortgage broker not do that a lender does?
- Unlike a direct lender, Simply Approved Mortgages does not fund loans with its own capital or service loans after closing. Instead we submit your file to one of several HUD-approved wholesale HECM lenders, who underwrite, fund, and often service the loan going forward.
- Is the HUD counseling session run by Simply Approved Mortgages?
- No. Federal rules require every HECM applicant to complete counseling with an independent, HUD-approved counseling agency that has no financial relationship with Simply Approved Mortgages or any lender. This keeps the counseling objective.
- What if I have a complaint about Simply Approved Mortgages?
- You can contact us directly, file a complaint with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation or the Colorado Division of Real Estate (mortgage licensing division) depending on where your loan was originated, or submit a complaint to the CFPB.
- How does Simply Approved Mortgages keep its content accurate?
- Our education pages are written and reviewed against published HUD Mortgagee Letters, FHA Handbook 4000.1, and CFPB consumer guidance. Where AI tools assist with drafting, a licensed loan officer or editor reviews the content against those primary sources before publication, and we correct pages when program rules change.
See How Much Home Equity You Could Access in 2026
Get a free, no-obligation reverse mortgage estimate from a Simply Approved Mortgages loan officer. We'll estimate your available home equity, explain your HECM options, and answer your questions today.
Estimate what you could qualify for in about a minute
Enter a few details about your age, home, and goals. We'll show you an estimated HECM benefit, a complimentary home value estimate, and connect you with a Simply Approved Mortgages reverse mortgage loan officer.
Related reverse mortgage articles, rate updates & HECM guides
New reverse mortgage articles are publishing soon. In the meantime, browse upcoming categories:
Documents required for a reverse mortgage
When you apply for a HECM reverse mortgage, your lender will request documents that verify your identity, property ownership, income, and assets. Gathering these in advance can speed up your estimate and application.
- Government-issued photo ID
Current driver’s license, passport, or state-issued ID.
- Social Security number verification
Social Security card or award letter showing your SSN.
- Current mortgage statement
Most recent statement if refinancing; purchase agreement if buying.
- Homeowner’s insurance declarations page
Shows current coverage, premium, and mortgagee clause.
- Property tax statement or receipt
Latest county tax bill showing taxes are current or payment history.
- Bank statements
Last 1-2 months to verify closing funds and residual reserves.
- Investment or retirement accounts
Recent statements for IRA, 401(k), brokerage, or other liquid assets.
- HOA or condo information
Homeowners association statement or condo questionnaire if applicable.
- Trust or title vesting documents
Required when the home is held in a living trust or entity.
- Flood insurance declaration
Current policy if the property is in a flood zone.
- HUD-approved counseling certificate
Required before loan application. Obtained from a HUD-approved reverse mortgage counselor.
Why we pull credit for your reverse mortgage pre-approval
HUD requires a Financial Assessment for every HECM reverse mortgage, including a review of your credit history and record of paying property taxes and homeowners insurance. As part of our standard broker/lender pre-approval process, we typically order a tri-merge credit report through a HUD-approved credit vendor to verify identity, review obligations, and confirm that you can continue paying property taxes, homeowners insurance, and maintenance after closing. Whether a tri-merge is required, and any fees, are set by the wholesale lender and credit vendor — not by HUD as a stand-alone rule.
Pay for your credit report — SmartPay
Simply Approved Mortgages uses SmartPay to securely collect the credit report fee for your reverse mortgage pre-approval. Payment goes directly to the credit vendor — not to us — and unlocks a tri-merge credit report (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) that your loan officer uses to complete the broker/lender pre-approval file for HUD's Financial Assessment.
- Secure, PCI-compliant checkout hosted by SmartPay
- Standard step in our broker/lender pre-approval process (not a HUD stand-alone requirement)
- Optional — you can decline; your loan officer will explain any impact on your options
You'll be redirected to cic.cra.xedalink.net (SmartPay).
Check your credit first — $1 trial at MyITINCredit
Before you apply, it's smart to know exactly where your credit stands. MyITINCredit offers a $1 trial for 15 days that includes all three credit reports and scores (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), plus ongoing credit monitoring so you can catch errors, dispute inaccuracies, and watch for identity theft.
- See all 3 bureau reports & scores before your lender does
- Ongoing monitoring alerts you to new accounts or score changes
- Fix errors early — cleaner credit can widen your reverse mortgage options
You'll be redirected to myitincredit.com. Third-party service — terms apply.
Credit report fees are paid directly to the credit vendor. Simply Approved Mortgages (NMLS #2620881) does not receive compensation from these credit services. MyITINCredit is an independent third-party service; pricing, terms, and features are set by that provider.
Add Simply Approved Mortgages as a preferred source on Google
If our reverse mortgage explainers are useful to you, Google lets you choose which publishers you see more of. In Google Search, run a search on a topic you follow, open Preferred sources from the Top stories panel, search for Simply Approved Mortgages, and select it. The setting lives in your own Google account, applies only to what you see, and can be changed or removed at any time.
How preferred sources work in Google Search →Simply Approved Mortgages is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by Google, and selecting a preferred source does not change search rankings for anyone else.
Ready to See Your Reverse Mortgage Numbers?
Get your personalized HECM estimate from a Simply Approved Mortgages licensed loan officer, or run the numbers yourself with our calculator — free and with no obligation.