Latest analysis can help lenders and borrowers better prepare for HELOC payment stress and the potential late payments of other debts
Costa Mesa, Calif., May 28, 2015 — Experian®, the leading global information services company, released its latest analysis on U.S. lending trends related specifically to home-equity lines of credit, commonly referred to as HELOCs. The study shows that a large portion of HELOC loans, originated between 2005 and 2008 and representing $265 billion, are outstanding and nearing the repayment phase, which is referred to as “end of draw.” This could result in significant implications not only for consumers, but also for the lending industry as a whole.
“This analysis is critical as we want to not only help lenders prepare and understand the payment stress of their borrowers, but also give consumers an opportunity to understand what the impact may be to their financial status and how to be better prepared for it,” said Michele Raneri, Experian’s vice president of analytics and business development.
At the end of the HELOC period, the loan terms direct consumers to either enter into a repayment program, which can be structured over time, or pay the loan off in one lump sum or balloon payment. The study further evaluated what could happen to these loans as well as other loan products and found that consumers coming to the end of draw on their HELOC are more likely to go delinquent — not just on the HELOC loan, but also on other types of debt — as the increase in repayment burden could mean higher monthly payments for the consumer.
HELOCs on the comeback as home prices recover
HELOCs encountered a large decline during the recession as many borrowers had little or no equity in their homes, but there is an upward trend showing that HELOCs have been increasing steadily since 2010. As of Q4 2014, originations are up 81 percent to $37.04 billion from $20.44 billion in the same quarter in 2010.
“As home prices have rebounded in much of the country, we’re seeing the same trend with HELOCs,” continued Raneri. “This could be a sign of the economy further recovering, yet there are still concerns about the pre-recession HELOCs that are now in repayment and how that could negatively impact consumers and the economy as a whole.”
Delinquencies and risk to other trades
HELOC delinquencies are down to pre-recession levels since their high in 2009, which is a trend that is occurring with other credit products as well. The study shows that the percentage of HELOCs that are in late-stage delinquency — those 90–180 days past due — is down to 0.5 percent from its highest level of 1.81 percent in 2009, which can be viewed as a positive sign for the industry.
While this might seem like the perfect scenario, with both increase in originations and pre-recessionary levels of delinquency, the study also finds that the consumers that are coming to the repayment phase of their HELOC are much more likely to go delinquent on their HELOC and on other types of credit. Between 2013 and 2014, there was a 307 percent increase in the number of 90-day delinquencies on HELOC loans for borrowers that were end of draw compared to just 29 percent that were not end of draw.
HELOC end of draw (EOD) and delinquency relationship to other loans or debt
That relationship extends beyond just the home equity itself as we find that borrowers that are delinquent on their HELOC trade are more likely to also be delinquent on other loans. Between 2013 and 2014, there were marginal changes in delinquencies on other products (mortgage, auto loan, and auto lease and bankcard trades) for consumers that were not end of draw on their HELOC or paying as agreed on their HELOC at the time of repayment. However, if a consumer was delinquent (90-days past due) on their HELOC at end of draw, there was a 112 percent, 48.5 percent and 24 percent increase in delinquency on their mortgage, auto and bankcard trade, respectively.
“With many consumers entering into this end of draw phase of their loan, financial institutions are reaching out to their customers to make sure they understand and are prepared for this change in their payment structure,” said Rod Griffin, director of public education, Experian. “The financial services industry is providing education to help borrowers develop a plan to manage their payments. Consumers should take advantage of all of the credit education resources available to them to manage these payments effectively, along with the other financial commitments they have.”
Additional resources
•View this blog post for ways consumers can manage the end of draw period.
•Experian hosts a #CreditChat on Twitter every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Eastern time with consumer credit expert Rod Griffin. Follow @Experian_US to join in.
•View the latest infographics and read about Experian’s perspective on trends and news at our Experian News Blog.
•Consumers are welcome to ask their credit questions on our Facebook page at https://facebook.com/ExperianUS.
•For answers to common questions, advice and education about consumer credit, you can visit Experian’s one-stop resource at http://www.experian.com/education.
Analysis methodology
Experian evaluated quarterly HELOC data from Q1 2007 through Q4 2014 from Experian’s File OneSM database for this analysis. For the delinquency analysis, Experian classified consumers as coming end of draw on their home-equity line between December 2013 and March 2014 if they met the following criteria: either a new special comment indicating the account has entered repayment or a 20 percent payment increase with no balance change over the same time period. Experian subsequently assessed the borrower performance on the HELOC and other trade types between December 2013 and December 2014.
Contact:
Kristine Snyder
Experian Public Relations
1 714 830 5192
kristine.snyder@experian.com
About Experian
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