Reverse Mortgages in Texas

Reverse mortgages exist in Texas because of a 1999 Constitutional amendment. Texas had banned home-equity lending of any form for over 150 years; the 1997 home-equity amendment opened the door for HELOCs, and Texas Constitution Article XVI §50(a)(7), ratified in November 1999, specifically authorized reverse mortgages. Subsequent amendments in 2005 and 2013 modernized the line-of-credit and disbursement rules. The 2026 federal HECM lending limit of $1,249,125 applies in Texas (HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-22).

Last reviewed 2026-05-20

What reverse mortgage rules are specific to Texas?

The Texas Constitutional framework imposes terms that overlay the federal HECM contract. The lender must give the borrower a 12-day cooling-off notice before closing (Tex. Const. Art. XVI §50(g)). The loan must be non-recourse as a matter of state constitutional law, on top of the federal statutory non-recourse at 12 USC §1715z-20. Reverse-mortgage liens may not be foreclosed except by court order following the maturity-event rules in §50(k).

For jumbo programs, Texas is one of two states (with North Carolina) where Finance of America Reverse sets the HomeSafe age floor at 62 rather than the 55-year floor used elsewhere. The other live jumbo programs, Platinum Preserve (Longbridge) and SecureEquity+ (Mutual of Omaha Reverse), admit at 55 in Texas. A Texas borrower aged 55–61 who wants jumbo terms should look at those two rather than HomeSafe.

Counseling uses the federal HUD-approved process; Texas adds no separate counselor licensing requirement. Recording fees are county-administered and run modest, generally $50–$150 for the security instrument.

How much can you borrow with a reverse mortgage in Texas?

Texas borrowers face the same federal ceiling, $1,249,125 in 2026 (HUD ML 2025-22), that applies in every state; what varies is the documentary regime and the 12-day notice that comes in on top of it. A 72-year-old Texas borrower with a paid-off $450,000 home sees a principal limit factor in the 52–58% range at current rates before closing costs. Treat that as a rough planning number, not a quote.

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The documentary regime and the rest of the Texas picture are summed up in the Texas suitability score, which sets the state against every other jurisdiction.

Do you need counseling for a reverse mortgage in Texas?

Every Texas HECM borrower completes a HUD-approved counseling session, and per §50(g) receives a written cooling-off notice 12 days before closing. The session runs 60–90 minutes and costs $125–$200. Find a counselor on the HUD HECM Counselor Roster or call 1-800-569-4287. Texas metros (Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio) typically schedule within a week.

What about jumbo in Texas?

Austin and the DFW metro carry home values that increasingly cross the $1,249,125 federal cap. A Texas borrower with a home appraised above the limit cannot reach the equity above the cap through a HECM. The three live jumbo programs extend the cap to $4M loan value. The Texas-specific wrinkle is the HomeSafe age-62 floor: at 55–61, a Texas borrower's jumbo options narrow to Platinum Preserve and SecureEquity+. See /jumbo for the full HECM-vs-jumbo comparison and /programs/homesafe for the Texas exception.

For the federal lending-limit reference, see /limits. For the current HECM rate environment, see /rates. For the counseling step every Texas borrower completes, see /guides/reverse-mortgage-counseling. For the lender-by-lender parameter cards across all live programs, see /programs. For the structural primer on what a reverse mortgage is and how it works, see /guides/what-is-a-reverse-mortgage.

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