The reverse mortgage market has been heating up as older Canadians are increasingly choosing to age in place, and HomeEquity Bank – a leader in the space with more than $5 billion in reverse mortgages under management – has launched a new miniseries featuring former journalist Peter Mansbridge to educate people about them.

The series, titled “Peter Mansbridge, In Conversation,” features four interviews on the topic of reverse mortgages with Steve Ranson, HomeEquity’s president and CEO, as well as Yvonne Ziomecki, the company’s EVP of marketing and CMO.

There are four episodes in total, covering the facts and fictions of reverse mortgages, the concept of aging in place, the options people have in retirement (including reverse mortgages) and alternatives to the reverse mortgage. They were created by Zulu Alpha Kilo and produced by its sister agency, Zulubot, and are airing across HomeEquity’s digital and social channels.

[iframe_youtube video=”gmKHUAGwVqY”]

“Reverse mortgages are growing quickly in Canada and information is just starting to become mainstream about them,” explains Ziomecki. “There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding reverse mortgages. This conversational series leverages Peter Mansbridge, who helps filter out the truth that many retirees are searching for in an unbiased way.”

While the institution could have taken a more traditional advertising approach, as it did early last year with a series of spots that championed retirees who desired to stay in their homes rather than sell and downsize, this year it opted to take a different tack in order to give itself “an opportunity to show the truth behind the CHIP Reverse Mortgage product,” she says.

The series builds on earlier work from HomeEquity. In 2020, the bank – also working with Zulu – released a series of videos called “Catch the Scam” that featured former conman Frank Abagnale and educated its audience – primarily older Canadians – on how to avoid confidence schemes.

“In both instances, HEB actioned its brand purpose and provided support and education to potential customers,” says Ziomecki.

“It’s one thing when a brand makes a claim, but it’s another when a former chief correspondent and anchor of CBC’s The National is willing to ask the tough questions and show the facts through his unbiased journalist approach,” she adds. “The reverse mortgage market is still relatively young, but it is growing quickly and now is the time to ensure people are informed to make the right decisions for their retirement.”