The transaction will result in Onity's subsidiary, Liberty Reverse Mortgage, exiting the reverse mortgage origination business. In December, Liberty closed 105 loans, bringing its 2025 total to 1,166 and ranking fifth nationally. That marked a decline from 2024, when the company ranked fourth with 1,125 loans. Meanwhile, Longbridge Financial, owned by Ellington Financial, originated 404 loans in December and 4,146 in 2025, up from 3,299 the prior year.
There has not been a lot of growth in the HECM space, Mayer said. New originations have almost entirely been driven by what the 10-year rate is in the market. HECMs go up when the 10-year rate goes down, and HECMs go down when the 10-year rate goes up. I do think we're going to see some growth in the HECM space in 2026, but the bulk of it is in proprietary products.
It specifically wants to reduce paperwork and increasing borrower flexibility while maintaining protections against defaults. NRMLA wrote that since its introduction in 2015, the HECM financial assessment has helped reduce reverse mortgage foreclosures due to property tax and insurance defaults. NRMLA said it supports maintaining FA's effectiveness, but it asks for streamlining procedures, reducing documentation burdens, and aligning HECM underwriting with FHA's forward mortgage program.
