HELOCS are on the rebound: Experian

Consumers are making HELOC payments on time and are paying down their debt.

Home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) are on the rebound, according to a new white paper from Experian.

As of the fourth quarter of 2015, HELOC originations rose 111%, to $43.03 billion from $20.44 billion in the same quarter in 2010.

At the same time consumers are making payments on time and being responsible with their debts, a positive development for both borrowers and lenders.

Over the past 12 months, $29 billion in HELOC debt originated between 2005 and 2008 has been paid down, as many of these lines of credit are in or are approaching their repayment period.

Even with this positive outlook, consumers and lenders still should proceed somewhat cautiously, as $236 billion in HELOC debt originated between 2005 and 2008 is now nearing repayment.

Given the number of and maturities for these HELOCs, Experian is looking at how consumers are managing these payments and what those spikes and trends mean.

“During the housing boom, home equity lending was heating up, but lenders pulled back significantly as home prices began to fall,” says Michele Raneri, Experian’s vice president of analytics and new business development. “What we’re seeing now is that home values have recovered, but the end of draw is still a factor that needs to be considered when it comes to consumer and lending behavior.”

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