Reverse Mortgage Discussion Guide Usability Testing

Quota
•

Screener
Office for Older Americans: Reverse Mortgage Discussion Guide
In-depth Interviews:
o Nine adults, ages 62 years or older, who have varying levels of familiarity with reverse
mortgage products for participation in interviews to be held in Arlington, Virginia as
well as remotely using screen-sharing software.
o Currently have a mortgage or own home outright and live in home.
o Located within the Washington, DC area and able to travel to the Fors Marsh Group
(FMG) office for the in-person interviews. If participating remotely, participants must
be located in the United States and have access to a stable high-speed internet
connection and telephone during the session.
o Mix of familiarity and knowledge of reverse mortgages.
o Mix of gender, race, ethnicity, and education.
o Interview participants will be segmented based on response to the reverse mortgage
familiarity question (Q4), with the following distribution:
User Group

Total number of participants:

Number of
Participants
9

I have done a lot of research on reverse mortgages
OR
I have done a little bit of research on reverse
mortgages

~4

At least some familiarity with reverse mortgages
OR
I had not heard of a reverse mortgage until
completing this survey

•

Responses to Q4 will be grouped as follows:

~5

o
o

01 and 02 will be eligible as “I have done a lot of research on reverse mortgages,” or
“I have done a little bit of research on reverse mortgages.”
03 and 04 will be eligible as “I have at least some familiarity with reverse
mortgages,” or “I had not heard of a reverse mortgage until completing this survey.”

Recruitment Plan
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

For in-person sessions, FMG will contact local FMG panel members with information and the
option to complete the local-panel web-based screener to determine if they qualify for the
study.
For the remote sessions, FMG will post the opportunity to participate through social media
channels and provide consumers with the option to complete the national web-based
screener to determine if they qualify for the study.
The FMG recruitment team will contact participants who qualify based on the web-based
screener and administer the phone-based screener to ensure that they qualify for
participation.
Respondents are sent a confirmation email with instructions that inform them how they will
participate remotely (this email includes a link to the webinar they will need to join).
Respondents are emailed the day prior to the interview to remind them about their
appointment.
Participants’ information is reconfirmed upon arrival to the session.
For in-person sessions, participants will be handed a $75 Visa gift card after their
participation in the interview.
For remote sessions, participants will be mailed a $75 Visa gift card after their participation
in the interview.

Recruitment Language for In-person Interviews
[Subject line] Seeking Home Owners for Interviews
We are currently recruiting people to participate in interviews about home ownership. During the
interviews, participants will be asked to review informational materials and provide feedback based
on their experience as a home owner. If you are 62 years of age or older and own your home, you
may qualify to participate in an interview.
The interviews will last 60 minutes and in-person participants will be handed a $75 honorarium in
the form of a prepaid Visa gift card. Others may participate remotely, and they will be mailed an
honorarium of a $75 prepaid Visa gift card. The interviews will take place at Fors Marsh Group in
Arlington, VA, and we are currently scheduling participants for July 6-7, 2017. This research is being
sponsored by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal government agency that
protects and supports consumers. Feedback from the interviews will be used to help the CFPB
understand consumers’ decision making about home ownership.
If you are interested in participating, please complete this short screener and we will notify you if you
qualify for the study – [Insert screener link].
Thank you!

Privacy Act Statement

5 U.S.C. 552(a)(e)(3)
The information you provide through your responses to Fors Marsh Group will assist the
survey sponsor, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in evaluating an
informational guide to financial products.
The CFPB will not obtain or access any personally identifiable information from Fors Marsh
Group about study participants. The agency will only obtain and access de-identified results
and aggregated analyses of those results.
Information collected on behalf of the Bureau by Fors Marsh Group will be treated in
accordance with the System of Records Notice (“SORN”), CFPB.022 – CFPB Market and
Consumer Research Records, 77 F.R. 67802. Personally identifiable information will only be
used by Fors Marsh Group to facilitate the study and will be kept private except as required
by law.
This collection of information is authorized by Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Sections 1013
and 1022, codified at 12 U.S.C. §§ 5493 and 5512.
Participation in this survey is voluntary. You are not required to participate or share any
identifying information with Fors Marsh Group, including name, email address, race,
ethnicity, city and state of residence, gender, and phone number, and you may withdraw
participation at any time. However, if you do not include the requested information, you may
not participate in the study.

Recruitment Language for Remote Interviews
[Subject line] Seeking Home Owners for Interviews
We are currently recruiting people to participate in interviews about home ownership. During the
interviews, participants will be asked to review informational materials and provide feedback based
on their experience as a home owner. If you are 62 years of age or older and own your home, you
may qualify to participate in an interview.
The interviews will last 60 minutes and remote participants will be mailed a $75 honorarium in the
form of a prepaid Visa gift card. Others will participate in person and they will be handed a $75
honorarium in the form of a prepaid Visa gift card. The study will take place remotely using phone
and screen-share software and we are currently scheduling participants for July 6-7, 2017. This
research is being sponsored by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal
government agency that protects and supports consumers. Feedback from the interviews will be
used to help the CFPB understand consumers’ decision making about home ownership.
If you are interested in participating, please complete this short screener and we will notify you if you
qualify for the study – [Insert screener link].
Thank you!

Privacy Act Statement

5 U.S.C. 552(a)(e)(3)
The information you provide through your responses to Fors Marsh Group will assist the
survey sponsor, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in evaluating an
informational guide to financial products.
The CFPB will not obtain or access any personally identifiable information from Fors Marsh
Group about study participants. The agency will only obtain and access de-identified results
and aggregated analyses of those results.
Information collected on behalf of the Bureau by Fors Marsh Group will be treated in
accordance with the System of Records Notice (“SORN”), CFPB.022 – CFPB Market and
Consumer Research Records, 77 F.R. 67802. Personally identifiable information will only be
used by Fors Marsh Group to facilitate the study and will be kept private except as required
by law.
This collection of information is authorized by Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Sections 1013
and 1022, codified at 12 U.S.C. §§ 5493 and 5512.
Participation in this survey is voluntary. You are not required to participate or share any
identifying information with Fors Marsh Group, including name, email address, race,
ethnicity, city and state of residence, gender, and phone number, and you may withdraw
participation at any time. However, if you do not include the requested information, you may
not participate in the study.

Web-Based Screener for In-Person Interviews
[NEW SCREEN]
Thank you for your interest in participating in user experience studies with Fors Marsh Group (FMG).
We are seeking participants to review informational materials and provide feedback. One-on-one
interviews will be held on July 6-7, 2017 and will take place at FMG’s office in Arlington, VA. If you
are interested in participating, please complete this questionnaire. If you qualify for this study, we
will contact you by phone for further screening and to schedule you at a time that is convenient for
you. An honorarium ($75 in the form of a prepaid Visa gift card) will be handed to those who
participate in the study in person. Others will participate remotely and will be mailed an honorarium
of $75 in the form of a prepaid Visa gift card.
FMG is conducting interviews on behalf of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help improve
an informational guide on home ownership options.

[NEW SCREEN]
Please note that your responses to these questions will remain private and will only be used for the
purpose of scheduling your session if you qualify for the study. The following Privacy Act Statement
guides the handling of your responses.
Privacy Act Statement [Link to new window]

Privacy Act Statement
5 U.S.C. 552(a)(e)(3)
The information you provide through your responses to Fors Marsh Group will assist the
survey sponsor, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in evaluating an
informational guide to financial products.
The CFPB will not obtain or access any personally identifiable information from Fors Marsh
Group about study participants. The agency will only obtain and access de-identified results
and aggregated analyses of those results.
Information collected on behalf of the Bureau by Fors Marsh Group will be treated in
accordance with the System of Records Notice (“SORN”), CFPB.022 – CFPB Market and
Consumer Research Records, 77 F.R. 67802. Personally identifiable information will only be
used by Fors Marsh Group to facilitate the study and will be kept private except as required
by law.
This collection of information is authorized by Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Sections 1013
and 1022, codified at 12 U.S.C. §§ 5493 and 5512.
Participation in this survey is voluntary. You are not required to participate or share any
identifying information with Fors Marsh Group, including name, email address, race,
ethnicity, city and state of residence, gender, and phone number, and you may withdraw
participation at any time. However, if you do not include the requested information, you may
not participate in the study.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement [Link to new window]
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor,
and not withstanding any other provision of law a person is not required to respond to a
collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control
number for this collection is 3170-0036. It expires on 08/31/2019. The time required to
complete this information collection is estimated to average approximately 5 minutes per

response. Comments regarding this collection of information, including the estimated
response time, suggestions for improving the usefulness of the information, or suggestions
for reducing the burden to respond to this collection should be submitted to Bureau at the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Attention: PRA Office), 1700 G Street NW,
Washington, DC 20552, or by email to [email protected].
Abbreviated Paperwork Reduction Act
[For use with phone or in person verbal disclosure]
This survey has been approved under the Paperwork Reduction act of 1995 by the Federal
Government’s Office of Management and Budget and assigned OMB control number 31700036. Without this OMB control number we could not conduct this survey.
[NEW SCREEN]
Q1. Are you currently a homeowner?
[Single Punch]
Yes

01

Eligible

No

02

Ineligible

Refused

-99

Ineligible

[NEW SCREEN]
Q2. Do you have any of the following types of loans on your current home?
[Multi-Punch]
Conventional Mortgage

01

Eligible

Reverse Mortgage

02

Ineligible

Home Equity Loan

03

Eligible

Home Equity Line of Credit

04

Eligible

None of the above; I do not currently have a loan on the home I own 05

Eligible

Refused

[NEW SCREEN]
Q3. What is your current age?
[Single Punch]

-99 Ineligible

18 to 24 years of age

01

Ineligible

25 to 34 years of age

02

Ineligible

35 to 44 years of age

03

Ineligible

45 to 61 years of age

04

Ineligible

62 years of age and
older

05

Eligible

Refused

-99

Ineligible

[IF INELIGIBLE, TERMINATE HERE USING THE LANGUAGE BELOW; IF ELIGIBLE, CONTINUE TO
Question 4]
[NEW SCREEN]
Q4. Which statement best matches your level of familiarity with reverse mortgages?
[Single Punch]
I have done a lot of research on reverse mortgages
I have done a little bit of research on reverse mortgages
I have heard about reverser mortgages but I have not done any research on this
topic
I had never heard of reverse mortgages until completing this survey
Refused

01
02
03

Eligible
Eligible
Eligible

04 Eligible
-99 Ineligible

[NEW SCREEN]
Q5. How likely are you to take out a reverse mortgage?
[Single Punch]
Very unlikely
Somewhat unlikely
Neither unlikely or likely
Somewhat likely
Very Likely
Refused

01
02
03
04
05
-99

Eligible
Eligible
Eligible
Eligible
Eligible
Ineligible

[NEW SCREEN]
Q6. Which of the following best describes what you are currently doing?
[Multi-Punch]
Going to high school

Yes
01

Refused
-99

Going to community college, 2-year degree program or trade school
(either full-time or part-time)
Going to a 4-year college/university (either full-time or part-time)
Working full-time
Working part-time
Homemaker
Retired
Not employed

02

-99

03
04
05
06
07
08

-99
-99
-99
-99
-99
-99

//If Q6 does not = working full-time (04) or working part-time (05), skip to Q9//
[NEW SCREEN]
Q7. What is your occupation?
[Open-ended Text box]
Q8. What industry do you work in?
[Open-ended Text box]
[NEW SCREEN]
Q9. What is your annual household income?
[Single Punch]
Less than $30K
$30K to less than $50K
$50K to less than $100K
$100K to less than $150K
More than $150K
Refused

01
02
03
04
05
-99

[NEW SCREEN]
Q10. Please provide a brief description (one to three sentences) about how you plan to spend your
retirement:
[Open-Ended Text box]
[NEW SCREEN]
Q11_1. First name:
[Open-Ended Text box]
Q11_2. Last name:
[Open-Ended Text box]
Q12. Email:
[Open-Ended Text box]

Q13. Phone number:
[Open-Ended Text box]
[NEW SCREEN]
Q14. What is your gender?
[Single Punch}
Male
01
Female 02
Refused -99
[NEW SCREEN]
Q15. Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
[Single Punch]
No, not of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin 01
Yes, of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin
02
Refused
-99
[NEW SCREEN]
Q16. Please select all of the following that best describe your race:
[Multi-Punch]
Yes Refused
White
01
-99
Black or African-American
02
-99
American Indian or Alaska Native
03
-99
Asian
04
-99
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 05
-99
[NEW SCREEN]
Q17. What city and state do you live in?
[Open-Ended Text box]
Q18. What is the highest educational degree that you have earned?
[Single Punch]
Yes
Less than high school degree or equivalent
01
High school graduate (grade 12, diploma, or GED) 02
Trade school certificate
03
Some college courses completed
04
Graduated with a 2-year degree (Associate)
05

Graduated with a 4-year degree (Bachelor’s)
Some graduate school courses completed
Graduated with a postgraduate degree
Refused

06
07
08
-99

Thank you for completing this survey. We will be in contact if you qualify and are selected for this
study. If you have any questions, please contact Fors Marsh Group at [email protected] or
call us at (571) 858-3817. You can also visit our website at www.forsmarshgroup.com.

Web-Based Screener for Remote Interviews
[NEW SCREEN]
Thank you for your interest in participating in user experience studies with Fors Marsh Group (FMG).
We are seeking participants to review informational materials and provide feedback. One-on-one
interviews will be held on July 6-7, 2017 and will take place remotely using telephone and screensharing software. If you are interested in participating, please complete this questionnaire. If you
qualify for this study, we will contact you by phone for further screening and to schedule you at a
time that is convenient for you. An honorarium ($75 in the form of a prepaid Visa gift card) will be
mailed to those who participate in the study remotely. Others who participate in person will be
handed an honorarium of $75 in the form of a prepaid Visa gift card.
FMG is conducting interviews on behalf of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help improve
an informational guide on home ownership options.
[NEW SCREEN]
Please note that your responses to these questions will remain private and will only be used for the
purpose of scheduling your session if you qualify for the study. The following Privacy Act Statement
guides the handling of your responses.
Privacy Act Statement [Link to new window]
5 U.S.C. 552(a)(e)(3)
The information you provide through your responses to Fors Marsh Group will assist the
survey sponsor, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in evaluating an
informational guide to financial products.
The CFPB will not obtain or access any personally identifiable information from Fors Marsh
Group about study participants. The agency will only obtain and access de-identified results
and aggregated analyses of those results.
Information collected on behalf of the Bureau by Fors Marsh Group will be treated in
accordance with the System of Records Notice (“SORN”), CFPB.022 – CFPB Market and
Consumer Research Records, 77 F.R. 67802. Personally identifiable information will only be

used by Fors Marsh Group to facilitate the study and will be kept private except as required
by law.
This collection of information is authorized by Pub. L. No. 111-203, Title X, Sections 1013
and 1022, codified at 12 U.S.C. §§ 5493 and 5512.
Participation in this survey is voluntary. You are not required to participate or share any
identifying information with Fors Marsh Group, including name, email address, race,
ethnicity, city and state of residence, gender, and phone number, and you may withdraw
participation at any time. However, if you do not include the requested information, you may
not participate in the study.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement [Link to new window]
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor,
and not withstanding any other provision of law a person is not required to respond to a
collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The OMB control
number for this collection is 3170-0036. It expires on 08/31/2019. The time required to
complete this information collection is estimated to average approximately 5 minutes per
response. Comments regarding this collection of information, including the estimated
response time, suggestions for improving the usefulness of the information, or suggestions
for reducing the burden to respond to this collection should be submitted to Bureau at the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Attention: PRA Office), 1700 G Street NW,
Washington, DC 20552, or by email to [email protected].
Abbreviated Paperwork Reduction Act
[For use with phone or in person verbal disclosure]
This survey has been approved under the Paperwork Reduction act of 1995 by the Federal
Government’s Office of Management and Budget and assigned OMB control number 31700036X. Without this OMB control number we could not conduct this survey.
[NEW SCREEN]
Q1. Are you currently a homeowner?
[Single Punch]
Yes

01

Eligible

No

02

Ineligible

Refused

-99

Ineligible

[NEW SCREEN]
Q2. Do you have any of the following types of loans on your current home?

[Multi-Punch]
Conventional Mortgage

01

Eligible

Reverse Mortgage

02

Ineligible

Home Equity Loan

03

Eligible

Home Equity Line of Credit

04

Eligible

None of the above; I do not currently have a loan on the home I own 05

Eligible

Refused

-99 Ineligible

[NEW SCREEN]
Q3. What is your current age?
[Single Punch]
18 to 24 years of age

01

Ineligible

25 to 34 years of age

02

Ineligible

35 to 44 years of age

03

Ineligible

45 to 61 years of age

04

Ineligible

62 years of age and
older

05

Eligible

Refused

-99

Ineligible

[IF INELIGIBLE, TERMINATE HERE USING THE LANGUAGE BELOW; IF ELIGIBLE, CONTINUE TO
Question 4]
[NEW SCREEN]
Q4. Which statement best matches your level of familiarity with reverse mortgages?
[Single Punch]
I have done a lot of research on reverse mortgages
I have done a little bit of research on reverse mortgages
I have heard about reverser mortgages but I have not done any research on this
topic
I had never heard of reverse mortgages until completing this survey
Refused

01
02
03

Eligible
Eligible
Eligible

04 Eligible
-99 Ineligible

[NEW SCREEN]
Q5. How likely are you to take out a reverse mortgage?
[Single Punch]
Very unlikely
Somewhat unlikely
Neither unlikely or likely
Somewhat likely
Very Likely
Refused

01
02
03
04
05
-99

Eligible
Eligible
Eligible
Eligible
Eligible
Ineligible

[NEW SCREEN]
Q6. Which of the following best describes what you are currently doing?
[Multi-Punch]
Going to high school
Going to community college, 2-year degree program or trade school
(either full-time or part-time)
Going to a 4-year college/university (either full-time or part-time)
Working full-time
Working part-time
Homemaker
Retired
Not employed

Yes
01
02

Refused
-99
-99

03
04
05
06
07
08

-99
-99
-99
-99
-99
-99

//If Q6 does not = working full-time (04) or working part-time (05), skip to Q9//
[NEW SCREEN]
Q7. What is your occupation?
[Open-ended Text box]
Q8. What industry do you work in?
[Open-ended Text box]
[NEW SCREEN]
Q9. What is your annual household income?
[Single Punch]
Less than $30K
$30K to less than $50K
$50K to less than $100K
$100K to less than $150K
More than $150K

01
02
03
04
05

Refused

-99

[NEW SCREEN]
Q10. Please provide a brief description (one to three sentences) about how you plan to spend your
retirement:
[Open-Ended Text box]
[NEW SCREEN]
Q11_1. First name:
[Open-Ended Text box]
Q11_2. Last name:
[Open-Ended Text box]
Q12. Email:
[Open-Ended Text box]
Q13. Phone number:
[Open-Ended Text box]
[NEW SCREEN]
Q14. What is your gender?
[Single Punch}
Male
01
Female 02
Refused -99
[NEW SCREEN]
Q15. Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
[Single Punch]
No, not of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin 01
Yes, of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin
02
Refused
-99
[NEW SCREEN]
Q16. Please select all of the following that best describe your race:
[Multi-Punch]
White

Yes Refused
01
-99

Black or African-American
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

02
03
04
05

-99
-99
-99
-99

[NEW SCREEN]
Q17. What city and state do you live in?
[Open-Ended Text box]
Q18. What is the highest educational degree that you have earned?
[Single Punch]
Yes
Less than high school degree or equivalent
01
High school graduate (grade 12, diploma, or GED) 02
Trade school certificate
03
Some college courses completed
04
Graduated with a 2-year degree (Associate)
05
Graduated with a 4-year degree (Bachelor’s)
06
Some graduate school courses completed
07
Graduated with a postgraduate degree
08
Refused
-99
[NEW SCREEN]
Q19. Are you able to participate in this study remotely via phone and screen-sharing software
(www.zoom.us)?
Yes 01 Eligible
No 02 Ineligible
Thank you for completing this survey. We will be in contact if you qualify and are selected for this
study. If you have any questions, please contact Fors Marsh Group at [email protected] or
call us at (571) 858-3817. You can also visit our website at www.forsmarshgroup.com.

Phone-Based Screener (for those who qualify based on web-based screener)
Hello ______. Thank you for your interest in participating in a user experience study with Fors Marsh
Group. My name is ________, and I wanted to follow up regarding a web-based survey that you
completed recently for upcoming interviews about home ownership. I wanted to ask a couple more
questions and see if we can schedule you for an interview. Your participation is completely voluntary.
Do you have a few minutes?

Privacy Act Statement [Link to new window]
Privacy Act Statement
5 U.S.C. 552(a)(e)(3)
The information you provide through your responses to Fors Marsh Group will assist the survey sponsor,
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in evaluating an informational guide to financial
products.
A federal law called the Privacy Act directs how the CFPB collects, keeps and shares your personal,
private information- including the personal information contained in your answers to these questions.
Your participation is completely voluntary, and is subject to the CFPB privacy policy that can be found on
our website, consumerfinance.gov.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
Abbreviated Paperwork Reduction Act
This survey has been approved under the Paperwork Reduction act of 1995 by the Federal
Government’s Office of Management and Budget and assigned OMB control number 31700036. Without this OMB control number we could not conduct this survey.
Q1. Could you tell me whether you own your home? [If necessary] Do you currently have a mortgage
on your home?
Q2. Could you tell me about how you plan to spend your retirement?
[If responses are confirmed – proceed with scheduling.]
Invitation:
We would like to invite you to participate in an interview. During the interviews, participants will be
asked to review a discussion guide about financial products and provide insight based on their
experience as a homeowner. The entire interview should last an hour, and you will receive an
honorarium of $75 in the form of a prepaid Visa gift card after the interview. If you participate in
person, you will be handed your $75 prepaid Visa gift card. If you participate remotely, you will be
mailed the $75 prepaid Visa gift card. Would you like to participate in this study?
Reconfirm participant’s email address.

Terminate message: Phone screener

We are sorry but based on your responses you do not qualify for this study. Thank you for your
interest in participating. We will contact you with information about studies in the future.