Large lenders have expanded their digital home equity options

With elevated levels of home equity across the U.S., mortgage lenders are making home equity lending more accessible to reach more borrowers.

Nearly all of the companies analyzed that provide home equity lending have a digital application process, while about half incorporate a soft credit pull before they fully underwrite these loans, according to a report released Wednesday by intelligence firm Keynova Group.

Keynova’s report reviewed the digital capabilities and user experiences at 12 of the top bank and nonbank lenders in the country. Depository lenders analyzed included Bank of America, Chase, Citi, Citizens, PNC, Truist, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo. Non-depository lenders in the study included Freedom Mortgage, loanDepot, Rate and Rocket Mortgage.

One-quarter of these lenders offered accelerated closing options, including two lenders that advertised home equity funding in as little as one week.

More than half of these home equity lenders enabled customers to lock in a rate online at times when interest rates are rising. And one-third promoted the ability to digitally lock or unlock a fixed-rate loan, enabling borrowers to return to an adjustable rate if rates are declining. 

To minimize near-term repayment expenses, about 20% of lenders offer the option for qualified customers to make interest-only payments during draw period for a home equity line of credit (HELOC).

U.S. homeowners who are sitting on increased amounts of equity have tapped into HELOCs as home prices have soared since the COVID-19 pandemic. Between the first and second quarters of this year, HELOC originations jumped by 26.5% to about 286,000 deals in the second quarter of 2024 from the previous quarter, according to recent data from Attom.

HELOCs accounted for $53.6 billion in volume in Q2 2024, up from $42 billion in the prior quarter and just shy of the $53.7 billion volume in Q2 2023.

Lenders also expanded digital access to information about alternatives such as down payment assistance (DPA) programs for buyers or loan modifications for current homeowners, the Keynova study showed.

Half of the lenders reviewed for the report provided customized low down payment products, while 42% supplied information on grants and other resources to support affordable homeownership. 

For existing homeowners, 83% of lenders offered online content that shows how to start the process for a loan modification, repayment plan or alternative financial assistance.  

Amid affordability challenges, lenders have rolled out more DPA programs, which have become a saving grace for buyers who aren’t able to pay a lump sum at closing. 

In Q2 2024, the number of DPA programs for homebuyers reached an all-time high, according to a report from Down Payment Resource. First-time buyers had 1,445 programs across the country to choose from, while repeat buyers had 970 available DPA programs.

“The confluence of rising home prices, elevated interest rates and inflation have increased the pressure on consumer wallets, and lenders are responding by making it easier for homeowners to use digital resources to tap into their home equity or identify affordable home lending alternatives,” Beth Robertson, managing director of Keynova Group, said in a statement.