Movement Mortgage has publicly announced the expansion of its reverse mortgage division led by industry veteran Harlan Accola, who now serves as Movement’s national reverse mortgage director.
While RMD first reported about Accola’s transition to Movement at the end of January, the company did not comment on its revived reverse mortgage business ambitions at the time. RMD reached out to representatives at Movement for this article but again did not hear back from the lender.
The company’s recent announcement gives additional context to its reverse mortgage outlook.
“Reverse mortgages, specifically Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs), can offer numerous benefits for individuals aged 62 and older,” the company said. “By offering a reverse mortgage product, Movement can immediately provide the baby boomer generation with an innovative mortgage solution that can help homeowners preserve more cash proceeds from the sale of one home and increase their purchasing power for the next — without being burdened by required monthly mortgage payments.”
The announcement does not mention other potential product offerings like proprietary reverse mortgages, instead focusing on the core HECM product.
Accola, who has long served as a reverse mortgage industry leader and product proponent, in a statement described the industry dynamic as one that needs engagement from companies with a wider scope of business.
“For reverse mortgages to be a mainstream option for older homeowners, leadership at forward mortgage companies must be completely engaged,” Accola said in the announcement. “My team and I are thrilled to be part of Movement’s vision to love and value people and to be able to help them bring the homeowner advantages of reverse mortgages to their market.”
The announcement also detailed several additional members of the team under Accola’s leadership. These include George Vrban, an industry planning and sales professional with 23 years of experience, and Kari Van Kleef, who will serve as Movement’s reverse operations division manager. Both Vrban and Van Kleef previously worked under Accola at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation.
Also making a similar move was Dan Hultquist, reverse mortgage educator and author of reference guide Understanding Reverse, who now serves as Movement’s director of reverse mortgage communications. His duties include reverse mortgage product marketing, training and education, according to the company.
Jayme Dollar, a 13-year reverse mortgage industry veteran who spent more than a decade at Finance of America Reverse (FAR), serves as the reverse division’s marketing lead at Movement.
“The reverse mortgage fits so well into the mission here,” Dollar said in the announcement. “At Movement, we are able to offer life-changing options to the boomer generation. Not only will each reverse mortgage client change their own financial trajectory for their years to come, they also get a chance to strengthen communities with their choice of lender as well.”
Mike Brennan, president of Movement, described his level of anticipation for what the company’s bolstered reverse division will bring to the table.
“Harlan’s expertise and track record in building a reverse mortgage division will be invaluable as we continue to expand,” Brennan said. “George, Kari, Dan, Jayme and the rest of the sales and operations team are the missing pieces we needed to support our more senior clients. This is a strategic move that will enable us to better serve our customers and provide a wider range of solutions to meet their needs. We are excited to welcome our new reverse team to Movement Mortgage.”
