What Is a Reverse Mortgage Servicer and How Do I Contact Mine? The 2026 Guide

Many reverse mortgage borrowers are surprised to discover that the company they closed their loan with is not the company managing it a year later. This is not unusual and it is not a problem — but it does create confusion about who to call when you need a draw, have a question about your statement, or receive a notice about your loan. Understanding the difference between your lender and your servicer, and knowing how to find your current servicer at any time, is essential knowledge for every HECM borrower.

This guide covers what a servicer does, how to find yours, the major servicers handling California and Arizona HECM loans in 2026, what happens when your loan is transferred to a new servicer, and what to do in each common servicer situation.

Lender vs Servicer: The Fundamental Difference

The confusion between lender and servicer is the source of most reverse mortgage management problems. Here is the complete breakdown:

The practical rule: after your loan closes, your lender's role is essentially complete. Your servicer becomes your primary point of contact for everything. Keep your monthly statements. The servicer's name, phone number, and mailing address appear on every statement. If you have lost your statements, call HUD at 800-827-3702 to locate your current servicer.

What Your Servicer Does: The Complete Reference

Your servicer handles every aspect of your loan's day-to-day management from closing until the loan is repaid. Here is the complete picture:

How to Find Your Current Reverse Mortgage Servicer

There are four reliable ways to identify your current servicer:

1. Check your most recent monthly statement

Your servicer's name, address, and phone number appear on every monthly statement. This is the fastest and most reliable method. If you have the most recent statement, you have everything you need to contact your servicer.

2. Call HUD's HECM servicer lookup line

HUD maintains a lookup service at 800-827-3702. Have your property address and Social Security number ready. HUD can identify your current servicer from the HECM system of record regardless of how many times the servicing has transferred.

3. Check your original closing documents

Your HUD-1 settlement statement from closing identifies the original servicer. If the servicing has since been transferred, this may no longer be current — but it gives you a starting point for tracing the transfer chain. See the closing process guide for what documents to keep.

4. Check the MERS servicer lookup

The Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS) servicer identification system at mers-servicerid.org/sis can identify the current servicer for many loans. Enter your loan's MIN (Mortgage Identification Number) from your closing documents.

The Major Reverse Mortgage Servicers in 2026

The HECM servicing landscape shifted significantly in early 2026. PHH Mortgage — operating its reverse mortgage business under the Liberty Reverse Mortgage brand — exited HECM originations and sold approximately 40,000 HECM loans with an unpaid principal balance of $9.6 billion to Finance of America. This transaction, which closed in Q1 2026, means a significant number of borrowers who previously received statements from Liberty or PHH may now receive statements from Finance of America or its subservicer.

Note: Servicer contact numbers and operational details are subject to change. Always verify the current contact information on your most recent monthly statement before calling.

What Is a Servicing Transfer?

A servicing transfer occurs when the company managing your loan changes. This can happen because the servicer sells the loan to another investor, because a lender exits the servicing business (as PHH/Liberty did in 2026), or as part of normal loan portfolio management. Servicing transfers are common across all types of mortgage loans — not just reverse mortgages.

What happens when your HECM is transferred:

• You receive a goodbye letter from the outgoing servicer and a hello letter from the new servicer within 15 days of the transfer
• Your loan terms — interest rate, available line of credit, MIP, and all other terms — remain identical. A servicing transfer cannot change your loan terms.
• Your new servicer takes over processing draws, sending statements, and managing LESA payments from the transfer date forward
• If you have automatic draw arrangements, verify with the new servicer that they have been transferred correctly
• Send all future correspondence, draw requests, and payments to the new servicer after the transfer date

Your rights during a servicing transfer:

Federal law under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requires both the old and new servicer to notify you in writing of the transfer. During the 60-day period after a transfer, the new servicer cannot charge a late fee if you accidentally send a payment to the old servicer. Your loan terms cannot be changed as a result of the transfer. If you have a complaint about the transfer process, you can file with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint.

The HUD Assignment: What It Means When Your Loan Goes to Celink

Every HECM that stays active long enough will eventually be assigned to HUD — this is a normal and expected part of the loan lifecycle, not a problem. According to reverse.mortgage's 2026 analysis, when a HECM loan balance reaches approximately 98 percent of the Maximum Claim Amount (the original home value up to the FHA limit), the servicer transfers the loan to HUD. HUD's designated servicing agent is Celink (also known as Compu-Link).

If you receive a letter or statement from Celink and your loan was previously serviced by another company, your loan has been assigned to HUD. This is a completely normal transition. What stays the same:

• Your loan terms, interest rate, and available line of credit remain identical
• Your LESA payments continue automatically
• Your right to remain in the home as long as you meet loan obligations continues
• Your non-recourse protection remains in full force

The only change is who you contact for draws and servicing questions — that is now Celink at 800-815-1807. Monthly statements will come from Celink after the assignment. Visit reverse.mortgagequestions.com for Celink borrower resources.

How to Request a Line of Credit Draw

Requesting funds from your HECM line of credit involves your servicer, not your lender. The process:

1. Contact your servicer by phone or through their online portal
2. Provide your loan account number, the amount you want to draw, and your banking information for the wire transfer
3. Draw requests typically process in 3 to 5 business days
4. Minimum draw amounts vary by servicer — confirm the minimum with your servicer. Most have a $500 minimum draw.
5. You can draw as often as you need within the available credit. There is no limit on frequency.
6. Keep records of all draw requests and confirmations

The Annual Occupancy Certification: What to Do When You Receive It

Every year your servicer will send you an occupancy certification form. This is a federal requirement — not an audit or a threat. It exists to confirm that you still live in the home as your primary residence.

What to do:

• Sign the form and return it promptly. Do not ignore it.
• Send it via certified mail with return receipt if you want proof of delivery — especially if you have had issues with the servicer claiming not to receive documents
• If you receive multiple certification requests for the same year, contact your servicer to confirm whether a prior submission was received
• If you have been away from the home for an extended period and are concerned about how to answer, call Jay at 760-271-8646 or your servicer before returning the form

What to Do If You Receive a Default Notice

A default notice means the servicer believes you have failed to meet one or more of your loan obligations — most commonly unpaid property taxes, lapsed homeowner's insurance, or failure to maintain the property. A default notice is serious but is not immediately a foreclosure notice.

Steps to take immediately:

1. Call your servicer the same day you receive the notice to understand exactly what triggered it
2. Resolve the underlying obligation immediately — pay overdue taxes, renew insurance, or address the property condition issue
3. Get written confirmation from the servicer that the default has been cured
4. Ask specifically whether a repayment plan is available if you cannot cure immediately
5. Contact Jay at 760-271-8646 or a HUD-approved housing counselor at 800-569-4287 for guidance

Expert Perspective: The Most Common Servicer Problems I See

From Jay Zayer, CRMP — 15 years in California and Arizona:

The servicer situations I hear about most from existing borrowers fall into three categories.

The first is borrowers who receive a statement from an unfamiliar company and assume it is a scam. In most cases it is a legitimate servicing transfer — the loan has moved to a new servicer following a portfolio sale. The tell: the statement shows your correct loan number, property address, and balance. Call the number on the statement, confirm the account details, and update your records.

The second is the occupancy certification that goes unanswered. A borrower has been in a hospital or rehabilitation facility for several months. The certification arrives while they are away. No one at home responds. The servicer treats this as a potential principal residence abandonment. The single most effective prevention: designate a trusted contact person who receives a copy of all servicer mail.

The third is LESA borrowers who think they still need to pay property taxes themselves because they always have. The LESA is paying them automatically. The borrower pays again. This creates a credit on the LESA account and confuses the tax authority. If you have a LESA, ask your servicer each year to confirm the tax payment was made before the deadline. Do not pay independently unless the servicer confirms the LESA failed to pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who services my reverse mortgage?

Your servicer's name and contact information appear on every monthly statement. If you have lost your statements, call HUD at 800-827-3702 with your property address and Social Security number to identify your current servicer. In 2026, the major HECM servicers are Celink (HUD's designated agent), Finance of America, Longbridge Financial, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, and PHH/Onity in a subservicing capacity.

What happened to Liberty Reverse Mortgage borrowers?

Onity Group (parent of PHH Mortgage and Liberty Reverse Mortgage) exited HECM originations and sold approximately 40,000 HECM loans with $9.6 billion in unpaid principal balance to Finance of America in Q1 2026. PHH became the subservicer for these loans under a three-year agreement with Finance of America. Borrowers who previously received statements from PHH or Liberty should check their most recent statement to identify the current servicer contact.

Can my servicer change my loan terms?

No. A servicing transfer cannot change your loan terms. Your interest rate, available line of credit, LESA amount, and all other terms established at closing remain identical regardless of how many times the servicing transfers. Federal law under RESPA specifically protects borrowers from term changes resulting from servicing transfers.

What is Celink and why am I getting statements from them?

Celink, also known as Compu-Link, is HUD's designated HECM servicing agent. When a HECM loan balance reaches approximately 98 percent of the Maximum Claim Amount, the loan is assigned to HUD and serviced by Celink. This is a normal part of the HECM loan lifecycle. Your loan terms remain identical. Contact Celink at 800-815-1807 for all ongoing servicing needs after the assignment.

How do I request a draw from my line of credit?

Contact your servicer directly by phone or through their online borrower portal. Provide your account number, the draw amount, and your bank account information for wire transfer. Draws typically process within 3 to 5 business days. Minimum draw amounts vary by servicer — most are $500. There is no limit on draw frequency within your available credit.

Action Steps

1. Locate your most recent monthly statement and note your servicer's name and contact number
2. If you cannot find a recent statement, call HUD at 800-827-3702 to identify your current servicer
3. If you received a statement from an unfamiliar company recently, call the number on the statement and verify your account details — this is likely a legitimate servicer transfer
4. Designate a trusted contact person who receives copies of all servicer mail so important documents are not missed
5. If you have a LESA, confirm annually with your servicer that your property taxes and insurance were paid before the due date
6. Never ignore servicer communications. Call Jay at 760-271-8646 if you receive something you do not understand before the response deadline

Jay Zayer assists California and Arizona borrowers and heirs in navigating servicer questions at no charge. Call Jay at 760-271-8646 or visit reversemortgage.coach.

Related reading: How to Pay Off a Reverse Mortgage Early · What Happens When You Die With a Reverse Mortgage? · Reverse Mortgage Closing Process

This content is for educational purposes only. Servicer contact information is subject to change. Always verify current contact details on your most recent monthly statement. PHH/Liberty servicing transfer data sourced from Housing Wire November 2025 and National Mortgage Professional November 2025. This material is not from HUD or FHA and has not been approved by any government agency. CA DRE #01456165, #01450361 · NMLS #307713 · AZ #1022722.