HUD’s Carson Warns of Senior Housing Crisis

Jul 18, 2017

U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Dr. Ben Carson has a message for the mortgage industry: The Department does not want to be seen as a trigger-happy enforcer.

The continued rise in home prices could have a deleterious impact on the state of senior housing, according to Dr. Ben Carson, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

According to an Orlando Sentinel report, Dr. Carson raised the issue yesterday during his keynote speech at the LeadingAge Florida annual convention. Citing a proverb that “you can gauge a society by the way they treat their elderly,” he noted that market forces are not working in favor of older Americans on fixed incomes.

“I’m very concerned about seniors who become destitute, who are forced into low-income housing,” Dr. Carson said. “Many look to HUD for affordable housing or assisted housing, but they confront a brutal reality: The market is becoming more expensive. Inner cities have become high-end markets, pricing low- and middle-class Americans out.”

Dr. Carson pointed to HUD’s policies on reverse mortgages, including proposals that limit the initial amount of equity seniors can draw on while requiring a financial assessment to ensure seniors can to continue to pay property taxes and health care costs. He also stated his commitment to require lenders fully disclose all conditions of the reverse mortgage.

Ultimately, the HUD secretary cautioned that the issue should be the basis of a conversation and not a Washington-rooted monologue. “The government works for the people, the people don’t work for the government,” he said. “We need to listen carefully to what people are saying, and react in a way that increases everyone’s freedom. Through good health practices, good financial health [and] creative leveraging of finances, we’ll meet the needs of seniors and maintain their independence.”

About the author

Phil Hall

Link copied

Published

Jul 18, 2017

Analysis and Data

Jobs Report Comes In Weak After Mortgage Rates Surge

Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, sending Treasury yields lower and offering a potential counterweight to the recent rise in mortgage rates

The September jobs report gave the mortgage market something it hasn't had much of lately: downward pressure on Treasury yields.U.S. employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, while the unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ...

Wholesale

The Loan Store Rebrands As Averra Financial

The wholesale lender is adopting a new identity three years after acquiring Homepoint’s wholesale business and rising to No. 4 in industry rankings

The Loan Store has a new name after a three-year expansion that transformed the once-small wholesale lender into one of the largest players in the broker channel.The Tucson, Arizona-based lender has rebranded as Averra Financial Inc., effective immediately, the company annou...

Nov

Houston, TX

More from

Analysis and Data

Jobs Report Comes In Weak After Mortgage Rates Surge

Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, sending Treasury yields lower and offering a potential counterweight to the recent rise in mortgage rates

Analysis and Data

Oct 02, 2026

Price Cuts Hit Four-Year High As Mortgage Rates Top 7%

More than one in five listings took a price cut in September, but pending sales still posted their sharpest annual decline since March 2025

Analysis and Data

Oct 01, 2026

Serious Mortgage Delinquencies Rise 19% After Five Months Of Improvement

ICE data shows 574,000 mortgages were at least 90 days past due in August, while early-stage delinquencies remained below year-ago levels

Analysis and Data

Sep 29, 2026

Smaller Down Payments Give Buyers More Room, But Rates Limit The Savings

The typical down payment fell 9% from a year ago, while shifting market conditions are giving originators different affordability conversations across the country

Analysis and Data

Sep 25, 2026

Mortgage Rates Break 7% Just As Builders Find A Way To Move Buyers

New-home sales rose 6.4% in August as builders cut prices, offered incentives, and sold more lower-priced homes. Now mortgage rates are moving against buyers again

Analysis and Data

Sep 25, 2026

Borrowers Want Digital Closings, But Some Originators Remain Hesitant

ServiceLink finds 45% of surveyed LOs cite borrower reluctance as a barrier, even though most recent buyers say digital options would influence their choice of mortgage provider

Tech

Sep 23, 2026

Popular