Louisiana

More seniors turning to reverse mortgages amid Louisiana’s insurance crisis

Published

1 year ago

September 6, 2024

More seniors turning to reverse mortgages amid Louisiana’s insurance crisis

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – With property insurance costs in Louisiana spiraling out of control, seniors are increasingly turning to reverse mortgages for financial relief.

Alison Calamaia at America’s Mortgage Resource says she’s been getting more calls from homeowners asking about reverse mortgages.

“A lot of my calls start with clients asking about whether or not they should get a reverse mortgage,” said Calamia. “My next question is why are you calling? What has occurred that made you make this phone call? Currently, they say my insurance just went through the roof.”

A majority of Calamia’s clients are in their golden years and on fixed incomes. She says the soaring cost of homeowners insurance creates a financial burden many of them can’t afford because they never anticipated the price of insurance premiums to climb so high.

“I currently have a woman right now, her insurance went from $3,000 to $14,000. She can’t afford to pay that any longer,” she said. “She does have a mortgage on her property, and she might lose her house if she can’t make that mortgage payment.”

Even those without mortgages, like Cheron Brylski of Uptown New Orleans, are feeling the pressure. Brylski put her home up for sale earlier this summer, citing property insurance and taxes as key reasons for her decision.

“It’s basically making living in a house that I own, and I own outright, impossible for me to stay here,” Brylski told us in June.

Calamia said the fear of losing one’s “forever” home is becoming more common among her clients.

“Most of the time it’s the house where they raised their children. And we live in the South. We don’t want to leave that house. We want to stay put,” she explained.

INSURANCE CRISIS

To stay put, Calamia says a growing number of people are considering reverse mortgages to create another line of money. Details of mortgages and reverse mortgages can be confusing and often filled with financial language unfamiliar to many people. That can often lead to several myths about reverse mortgages said Calamia, who tried to boil down the information for this reporter to understand.

“In a nutshell, it is a mortgage against the home that allows for a percentage of the property value to be used as a stream of monthly income, a line of credit, or a lump sum to pay existing mortgages, but it does not come with a monthly payback as long as the borrower lives in the home. They do have to pay taxes and insurance, but there’s not that principal and interest part of it. In essence, the house is going to pay for the principal that they would receive and the interest on it over time instead of physically making a traditional mortgage payment, the house is paying for it,” said Calamia.

The borrower can use the line of cash or credit generated through a reverse mortgage to pay for things like property insurance. Calamia says reverse mortgages often get a bad reputation. Much of her work involves walking clients through a process to determine if a reverse mortgage would be appropriate for their financial situation.

“One of the biggest reasons myths about reverse mortgages is I can’t get a reverse mortgage if I still owe money on my home. That’s not true. However, in a reverse mortgage the available funds, which is a percentage of the property value, there needs to be enough in the reverse mortgage to pay off that mortgage plus cover the closing costs. We don’t have any out-of-pocket cost so the cost of getting the loan is worked into the loan. People also think they won’t keep the title to their home. They do keep that title as long as they just live in it. And one day, when the mortgage is due and payable, which is usually after the borrower has sold the property or has permanently moved out of the home. When the loan becomes due and payable, any amount that was given to the borrower is paid back along with interest on it over time. There’s no end date. The date is when they no longer live there usually after death,” Calamia said.

Reverse mortgages may not be suitable for everyone. But during a time when many people are trying to find ways to cover the cost of sky-high property insurance, Calamia believes it can help seniors stay in their forever homes.

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Louisiana

State Treasurer John Fleming accuses Jeff Landry of interfering in Louisiana Senate race

Published

2 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

State Treasurer John Fleming accuses Jeff Landry of interfering in Louisiana Senate race

BATON ROUGE (KNOE) – Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming is accusing Governor Jeff Landry of interfering with the state Senate race, which Fleming is a part of.

Fleming took to social media to accuse Landry of working “behind the scenes” to get Congresswoman Julia Letlow elected to the Senate.

According to Fleming, Dr. Ralph Abraham offered him the position of Deputy Director of the CDC shortly before announcing he was stepping down. Fleming said he politely declined.

A week later, news broke that Abraham is now leading Letlow’s Senate campaign.

“We know that Jeff has been heavily lobbying the Trump campaign team for the endorsement, he is pressuring the Republican Party of Louisiana and the Republican Executive Committees to support and endorse Letlow as well,” Fleming wrote on Facebook. “And, he is personally calling his donors to raise big money to save the Letlow campaign.

Landry formally endorsed Letlow for the U.S. Senate on March 4. Letlow also has the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

“We need a warrior who stands with the President to Make America Great. And there’s no greater warrior than a Louisiana mom,” Landry wrote on Facebook.

Fleming continued his commentary, asking when Landry will stop interfering with the state’s Senate race.

“Who is best to decide who represents you in Washington? Jeff Landry, or YOU?” Fleming asked.

Also in the heated race is incumbent Bill Cassidy, M.D.

Party primary elections in Louisiana are set for May 16, 2026.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

Published

14 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 3 drawing

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 3 drawing

6-8-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 3 drawing

3-6-7-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 3 drawing

0-8-3-2-0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Louisiana

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

The brother of Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts — accused of raping her son’s teenage friend — is facing child sex crimes of his own.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, was accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years, KALB reported.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, is accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years. Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office

The alleged sexual abuse began when one of the victims was as young as 13, according to Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford.

He was arrested in October.

Booking photo of Misty Clanton Roberts. — Brandon’s sister, Misty, the ex-mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, allegedly raped her son’s teenage friend. AP

That comes years after his big sister – ex-mayor of DeRidder, 43-year-old Misty Roberts – allegedly got hot and heavy with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a drunken party at their home.

Roberts was allegedly caught in the tryst by her own kids.

She was arrested months later, and is currently on trial for rape charges.

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