FortuneJoseph Hostetler
Today’s home equity loan and HELOC rates, Oct. 1, 2026
Both home equity loans and HELOCs give homeowners a way to borrow against equity accumulated through mortgage paydown or an outright home purchase. These loans use your property as collateral, which generally results in lower rates compared with unsecured borrowing options.
The two products differ mainly in how funds are delivered: A home equity loan provides one upfront lump sum, while a HELOC offers a renewable credit line available for repeated use. To determine if this is an opportune time to borrow against your equity, we’ve compiled current nationwide averages from the Mortgage Research Center.
Fortunereviewed the latest data available from MRC as of Sept. 30.
These rates are national averages based on an owner-occupied, single-family home with an 80% loan-to-value ratio, a $350,000 loan ($850,000 for non-conforming loans), and a 30- to 60-day rate lock.
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