US Homeowner Equity Climbs to a Record High

The share of US mortgage borrowers who are equity-rich climbed to a new high last quarter as the housing market rebounded.

Equity-rich mortgages — those that have a loan-to value ratio of 50% or lower, meaning the mortgage holder’s equity stake is at least half the property’s worth — made up some 49% of the national total in the second quarter of this year, according to a report by Attom, a real estate data provider.