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In the midst of all the HELOC freeze turmoil, most major lenders continue to advertise. Just today I received an email advertising home equity lines of credit from Wells Fargo. They say: “Rates are at their lowest levels in over 3 Years — there’s never been a better time to apply.” That may be true for borrowers [...] [...more]
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A new loan product called a “shared equity agreement” allows borrowers to take out money and pay nothing back until they sell their property. Sound too good to be true? That’s because it is. Here’s the catch: the borrower must agree to pay back the money borrowed plus half of the home’s appreciation value between the [...] [...more]
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A new report from J.D. Power and Associates ranks home equity lenders according to the results of a customer satisfaction survey. As I reported earlier this week, overall customer satisfaction has improved since last year. However, not all HELOC lenders faired equally. Here are the results, on a scale of one to one-thousand: Bank of America: 811 SunTrust: [...] [...more]
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In the midst of HELOC line reductions and increasingly strict lending standards, a new study from J.D. Power and Associates comes as a surprise. Apparently, HELOC customer satisfaction is up this year: “Despite an economy affected by a stagnant housing market, decreasing home values and upheaval among lenders, overall customer satisfaction with the home equity line [...] [...more]
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If you’re a homeowner looking to purchase a new property, you may be able to use a home equity line of credit (HELOC) as a down payment. In order for this to work, your current property must have a significant amount of equity (usually at least $20,000 worth). If you are planning to sell your current [...] [...more]
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Many home equity lines offer an interest-only feature. Interest-only HELOCs are risky to the borrower; however they do provide more manageable monthly payments during the first few years. Here’s how these credit lines work: First - The interest-only HELOC is opened. The borrower agrees to a set number of years for the withdrawal period and a set [...] [...more]
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As HELOC rates have nosedived, average rates on home equity loans have gone up. Some HELOC customers have suffered through line freezes and reductions, but many others are taking advantage of the low rates made possible by federal funds slashes earlier this year. Here are the national overnight averages calculated by Bankrate.com: $30,00 HELOC - 4.82% HEL - 7.71% $50,000 HELOC [...] [...more]
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Over 400,000 HELOC borrowers have had their lines reduced and HELOC lenders are more unpredictable than ever. What’s the reasoning behind this recent instability? HELOC lenders have lost more money on these loans than ever before. Although home equity lines make up a small percentage of the mortgage market, their loss hits banks harder [...] [...more]
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If you’re a homeowner, it’s important to stay aware of mortgage scams such as HELOC identity theft. According to a recent Consumer Affairs article, home equity identity theft has become increasingly common. Here’s how the scam works: “Some con artists steal consumers’ identities to drain Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). These HELOC loans differ from standard [...] [...more]
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One fact is clear from the past few months: home equity lenders are extremely unpredictable. Because of declining property values, many HELOC clients have had their lines frozen or decreased. It’s hard on borrowers, but it makes financial sense for the banks. However, HELOC lenders haven’t stopped at that. Many customers have been surprised to find [...] [...more]
