Temporary provisions that industry members say have kept reverse mortgages available in Massachusetts during the pandemic expired last month, prompting calls legislative action to extend the provisions.

Massachusetts requires in-person counseling for anyone seeking a reverse mortgage. State legislation enacted in April 2020 temporarily allowed these sessions to take place through a video- or teleconference. That provision expired on Dec. 15.

The Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association sent letters last month to State House leadership requesting an extension of the temporary provisions.

“If they do nothing, the ability of hundreds of seniors to leverage the equity in their homes during this extremely stressful time will be rendered impossible,” George Downey, founder of Harbor Mortgage Solutions in Braintree and a board member of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association, said in a statement. “There is no rational reason why Massachusetts should be so out of step with every other state when it comes to giving seniors flexibility in arranging for safe and effective reverse mortgage advice.”

A reverse mortgage allows homeowners who are 62 or older to obtain a home loan that does not need to be repaid until the borrower moves, sells the home or dies.

Massachusetts is the only state in the U.S. that requires in-person counseling to ensure prospective borrowers understand short- and long-term impacts of accessing the equity.

The state currently has only five full-time and one part-time counselors, MMBA Executive Director Deborah Sousa said in a letter to Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano. More than 400 counseling session have taken place since the start of the pandemic, Sousa said, and video- and teleconferencing have let family members participate more easily in the counseling session.

“The MMBA and our member lenders who offer reverse mortgage products work with borrowers to ensure they understand both the risks as well as the benefits of reverse mortgages,” Sousa said. “For many it is the only way of paying for home repairs or supplementing their monthly income to pay for necessities.”

According to a joint press release from the NRMLA and Harbor Mortgage Solutions in Braintree, none of the counselors are currently holding appointments inside the prospective borrower’s home, requiring applicants to go to one of the state’s six counseling locations in Quincy, Agawam, Hyannis, Auburndale, Stoneham or Woburn.

“COVID numbers are rising and our seniors are a vulnerable population,” the joint statement said. “COVID drastically impacted not only the health of seniors, but finances as well. The elimination or reduction of part- and full-time employment, the decline in their stock portfolios and increasing inflation are major problems. For some, leveraging their housing wealth via reverse mortgage is a solution.”

In addition to extending the temporary provision, the NRMLA and Harbor Mortgage Solutions also encouraged the state legislature to pass a bill that would make video- and teleconferencing permanent for reverse mortgages. The bill, H1146, was filed by Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian, D-Melrose.

Also supporting legislative action are Jennifer Cosentini, a HUD Certified Housing Counselor with Cambridge Credit Counseling Corp., and state Rep. James Murphy, D-Weymouth.