We have the Best Home Equity Line of Credit Rates in the Market
U.S. Bank Home Equity Line of Credit Review
With both home equity loans and home equity lines of credit offered at competitive rates, and an array of special rates and programs for former and current members of the armed services. As a result, US Bank can be an excellent place to begin looking for a home equity loan or line of credit depending on your specific situation.
What We Learned
PROS
US Bank has special programs and deals for members of the military and vets.
CONS
The rate on fixed interest loans is higher for US Bank than it was for many of the other lenders we reviewed.
OVERALL SCORE
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Detailed Review
When offering home equity loans and lines of credit, US Bank will take second homes and rental properties as collateral. This can help you save a great deal of money on interest rates. That’s something you might want to take advantage of because the interest rates for fixed rate home equity loans were generally higher for US Bank than for many of the other lenders we reviewed.
Rates and Fees
While US Bank offers a number of attractive products, especially if you are currently or were formerly in the military. However, absent these benefits, we found that US Bank generally has higher rates on fixed interest home equity loans than other lenders we looked at. If you have the ability to offset these higher fees with eligibility in some of the special programs they offer, then they are very competitive with the rates that they offer.
Eligibility
One of the most attractive aspects of US Bank when it comes to obtaining a home equity loan is that US Bank takes your entire credit history into account, not just your credit score. This means that you can recover from difficult times either in your past or in your present that may have artificially lowered your credit score. However, US Bank does also consider other important factors similar to other lenders, such as value-to-loan ratio and debt-to-income ratio. Given the fact that US Bank will review your entire credit history, they are a solid choice when it comes time to start your search for the best home equity loan.
Loan Requirements
Like several of the lenders that we reviewed, we could not get the specific requirements for the loans that US Bank offers. However, the maximum loan amount they offer is higher than most of the other lenders that we reviewed. Moreover, they have a number of tools to make sure that the loan product you get is the one most suited to your needs. This helps avoid issues where you might get too little loan or too much loan, which can be a tricky situation.
Customer Experience
As with many lenders, the phone support is not oriented specifically towards home equity loans. This means that you should be prepared to navigate an automated phone menu system before getting to a customer service representative. However, the reps that you reach are knowledgeable and were able to answer many of the questions we had about the loan process and eligibility requirements. Moreover, the rep didn’t apply pressure for a sale, which is good considering that seeking a home equity loan can be a high stress situation, and pressure from a salesperson never makes it better.
Summary
US Bank is a good lender to check out if you qualify for some of their special programs or offers. If not their rates are a bit higher than other lenders, and you may want to avoid looking to them for your home equity loan or line of credit, despite the good customer service provided by their human representatives.
