Is a reverse mortgage safe?

HECM reverse mortgages are FHA-insured, federally regulated, and one of the most consumer-protected loan products in the country. The protections built in: required HUD-approved counseling before the loan can even be ordered, a financial assessment to make sure you can keep up with taxes and insurance, mandatory non-recourse status (meaning you or your heirs will never owe more than the home is worth at the time of repayment, even if the loan balance has grown beyond the home's value), and federal oversight by HUD and the CFPB. As long as you live in the home as your primary residence and stay current on property taxes, homeowners insurance, and any HOA dues, you cannot be forced out of your home. The horror stories you may have heard mostly come from older private products that no longer exist or from situations where the borrower stopped paying property taxes. The modern HECM is, by design, very hard to lose.