The Home Equity Opportunity Is Back. Can Your Operations Keep Up?

Homeowners withdrew $47 billion in home equity in Q1 2026, the highest since 2021. Many carry second liens, with attractive HELOC rates encouraging durable use of second liens and HELOCs. Lenders face inefficiencies due to manual processes and first-mortgage infrastructure mismatches, causing low pull-through rates and high costs. Automation and integrated systems can reduce processing time by up to 77%, improving conversion and borrower experience.