Article: HOME EQUITY LOANS TOP $75 BILLION

WASHINGTON - Home equity loans, booming in popularity because of changes in the tax law, now account for more than $75 billion of total consumer debt, a study has found.

The Federal Reserve, conducting its first comprehensive look at the new consumer credit lines, found that some 3 million homeowners have home equity loans and that three-fourths of all existing loans were taken out in the past two years.

The home equity loans are replacing second mortgages in popularity because they offer greater flexibility to consumers.

While second mortgages are extended for a specified period of time and require repayment of principal and interest in equal monthly installments, home equity ...

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