As high interest rates drive up the cost of borrowing money, more people are tapping the equity in their homes.
Americans took out $66 billion in home-equity lines of credit, or HELOCs, in the second quarter, a 40% increase from a year ago and the largest amount in almost three years, according to data from real-estate analytics firm Attom Data Solutions. These accounts, which allow homeowners to borrow against the value of their house, are making a comeback as higher rates make it less favorable to refinance a mortgage.
