Some banks once again are offering home equity loans and lines of credit, mainly smaller lenders that were not hit hard by the subprime loan crisis and that lend in smaller geographic areas. To obtain this kind of financing, borrowers must have credit scores of no less than 720, 20 percent or more equity in the home and two years’ worth of pay stubs. Interest rates average 7.15 percent on equity loans and 5.22 percent on lines of credit, according to HSH Associates. | Read More