There is a great deal of information about reverse mortgages out there. Family, friends, financial bloggers, and industry advertising add to the mix. Not all is current or accurate and a lot of it is scary. That is why it is best to start by explaining that while Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM's) are reverse mortgages, not all reverse mortgages are HECM's. Reverse mortgage is a generic term that has been used to describe all sorts of things including negative amortization mortgages and life estates. They've been around for a long time.