California reverse mortgage data: press & media kit

Original analysis of HUD’s loan-level records for every FHA-insured reverse mortgage endorsed in California over twelve monthly releases, August 2025 through July 2026. Key figures, ready-to-use charts, and how to reach me for comment.

Key findings

The numbers in one glance

California’s share of US reverse mortgages

16.9%

4,171 of 24,674 FHA-insured HECMs nationwide

California loans that hit the FHA ceiling

20.1%

vs 2.9% in the rest of the country, about 6.8 times the rate

California HECM for Purchase loans

172

of 1,379 nationwide; Riverside County alone wrote 47

County with the most reverse mortgages

Los Angeles

844 loans, 21.4% at the ceiling

County and city tables, and the full method, are in the report: California Reverse Mortgage Activity 2026.

Download

Charts you can use

Each chart carries its source line. Use them in articles, newsletters or presentations; please credit Ideal Financial and link to this page.

Bar chart of FHA-insured reverse mortgages endorsed in California each month from August 2025 to July 2026. Monthly counts range from 302 to 610; October 2025 had none because of the government shutdown. — Download PNG · free to republish with credit to Ideal Financial and a link to this page.

Bar chart of the share of reverse mortgages reaching the FHA ceiling in California's ten busiest counties, from 0.0% in Sacramento to 75.3% in Santa Clara, against 2.9% in the rest of the US. — Download PNG · free to republish with credit to Ideal Financial and a link to this page.

Bar chart of the 15 California cities with the most FHA reverse mortgages, led by Los Angeles with 183. — Download PNG · free to republish with credit to Ideal Financial and a link to this page.

How to cite this data

Adler, Kenneth M. “California Reverse Mortgage Activity 2026.” Ideal Financial, Inc., 2026. Analysis of HUD FHA HECM Single-Family Portfolio Snapshot, August 2025 through July 2026. https://ideal-financial.net/california-reverse-mortgage-activity-2026.html

What the data does and doesn’t cover

FHA-insured HECMs only. Proprietary (jumbo) reverse mortgages are not federally insured and do not appear in HUD’s file, so the ceiling rate shows where the FHA program runs out, not total reverse mortgage lending. HUD: “Due to the lapse in appropriations covering the entire month of October 2025, no HECM endorsements were processed.”

About the analyst

Kenneth M. Adler is the broker and owner of Ideal Financial, Inc., a California reverse mortgage brokerage, with 30 years in California lending. CA DRE #01216608, NMLS #240317; company CA DRE #01232726, NMLS #251531. He can speak to what the numbers mean for California homeowners, heirs, and the attorneys and advisors who work with them.

Contact for comment

Call (818) 674-7284 or email ken@ideal-financial.net. I answer personally and can usually respond the same business day.

Written by Kenneth M. Adler

Broker & Owner, Ideal Financial, Inc. · 30 years in California lending · NMLS #240317 · CA DRE #01216608

Last reviewed September 29, 2026

Every page on this site is written and maintained by me: the same person who answers the phone, runs your numbers, and handles your file start to finish. No call center, no hand-offs, no lead-selling. More about how I work →