Many financial institutions, banks, and other organizations offer home equity loans with different rates. Usually, the common thread connecting all home equity line of credit rates is their dependency on the prime rate, the index published in some major newspapers, or the US Treasury Bill rate. This remains the base rate for all financial institutions. However, with this, they charge an extra margin, which varies and makes interest rates differ from one company to the other. Margin rates vary from 1% to 2% to the prime rate or index value.

Interest rates vary, with monthly installments changing from high to low or low to high, depending upon the prime rate at a particular time. However, there is a cap or limit on the interest rate changes, beyond which interest rates cannot rise.

Research shows that it is extremely important for borrowers to adequately check and conduct an in-depth study on the fluctuations of the prime rates and the interest rates offered by different companies. An advantage of home loans is that they are usually tax-deductible.

Some financial institutions offering good home equity lines of credit include E-loan, Bank of America, Flagstar Bank, Ditech, Merrill Lynch, E-rate, Net Bank, Charter One, World Savings, and Presidential Loan Products, among others. Some companies or financial institutes offer tease rates during the initial months, and later shoot up their rates. For example, Net Bank provides a beginning rate of 6.25%, and then raises it to 7.25% APR thereafter.

It can be confusing to choose the correct interest rate. It is quite easy to get fooled by misleading low quotes which promise low monthly payments initially but can be demanding later on. Home equity lines of credit are good when compared to other interest rates of different loans. However, adequate research is essential before getting a home equity loan.