Useful resources for help on Home Equity Loans

I found some good resources on where to find help on information regarding home equity loans. Rules and regulations are tough to find. Here is a list of resources:


State Banks that Are Members of the Federal Reserve System
Division of Consumer and Community Affairs
Mail Stop 801
Federal Reserve Board
Washington DC 20551
(202) 452-3693
www.federalreserve.gov

National Banks
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Customer Assistance Unit
1301 McKinney St.
Suite 3710
Houston, TX 77010
(800) 613-6743
www.occ.treas.gov

Federal Credit Unions
National Credit Union Administration
Office of Public and Congressional Affairs
1775 Duke St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 518-6330
www.ncua.gov

Federally Insured Non-Member State-Chartered Banks and Savings Banks
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Office of Compliance and Consumer Affairs
550 17th Street, NW
Room PA-1730, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20429
(202) 942-3100 or
(800) 934-FDIC
www.fdic.gov

Federally Insured Savings and Loan Institutions and Federally Chartered Savings Banks
Office of Thrift Supervision
Consumer Programs
1700 G Street, NW, 6thFloor
Washington, DC 20552
(202) 906-6237 or
(800) 842-6929
www.ots.treas.gov

Mortgage Companies and Other Lenders
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
(202) 326-3758 or
(877) FTC-HELP
www.ftc.gov

Home Equity Credit Limits

Depending on your creditworthiness (your income, credit rating, etc.) and the amount of your outstanding debt, home equity lenders may let you borrow up to 85% of the appraised value of your home minus the amount you still owe on your first mortgage. Ask the lender about the length of the home equity loan, whether there is a minimum withdrawal requirement when you open your account, and whether there are minimum or maximum withdrawal requirements after your account is opened. Inquire how you gain access to your credit line -- with checks, credit cards, or both.

Also, find out if your home equity plan sets a fixed time -- a draw period -- when you can make withdrawals from your account. Once the draw period expires, you may be able to renew your credit line. If you cannot, you will not be permitted to borrow additional funds. Also, in some plans, you may have to pay your full outstanding balance. In others, you may be able to repay the balance over a fixed time.

Are Home Equity Lines of Credit right for you?

If you need to borrow money, home equity lines may be one useful source of credit. Initially at least, they may provide you with large amounts of cash at relatively low interest rates. And they may provide you with certain tax advantages unavailable with other kinds of loans. (Check with your tax adviser for details.)

At the same time, home equity lines of credit require you to use your home as collateral for the loan. This may put your home at risk if you are late or cannot make your monthly payments. Those loans with a large final (balloon) payment may lead you to borrow more money to pay off this debt, or they may put your home in jeopardy if you cannot qualify for refinancing. And, if you sell your home, most plans require you to pay off your credit line at that time. In addition, because home equity loans give you relatively easy access to cash, you might find you borrow money more freely.

Remember too, there are other ways to borrow money from a lending institution. For example, you may want to explore second mortgage installment loans. Although these plans also place an additional mortgage on your home, second mortgage money usually is loaned in a lump sum, rather than in a series of advances made available by writing checks on an account. Also, second mortgages usually have fixed interest rates and fixed payment amounts.

You also may want to explore borrowing from credit lines that do not use your home as collateral. These are available with your credit cards or with unsecured credit lines that let you write checks as you need the money. In addition, you may want to ask about loans for specific items, such as cars or tuition.

Home Equity Line Defined

Using a home equity credit line to borrow against the equity in your home has become a popular source of consumer credit. And lenders are offering these home equity credit lines in a variety of ways.

You will find most loans come with variable interest rates, some come with attractive low introductory rates, and a few come with fixed rates. You also may find most loans have large one-time upfront fees, others have closing costs, and some have continuing costs, such as annual fees. You can find loans with large balloon payments at the end of the loan, and others with no balloons but with higher monthly payments.

No one loan is right for every homeowner. The challenge, then, is to contact different lenders, compare options, and select the home equity credit line best tailored to your needs.

Be sure to review the home equity contract carefully before you sign it. Do not hesitate to ask questions about the terms and conditions of your financing.