Originations of home-equity lines-of-credit are increasing along with the average size of the loans at origination. The expansion has occurred without a significant loosening of underwriting standards as combined loan-to-value ratios and other underwriting metrics for HELOCs remain much tighter in the current market compared with pre-2008 originations. An estimated $68.5 billion in home-equity loans were originated in the first three quarters of 2015, according to Inside Mortgage Finance, up 25 percent compared with the same span in 2014. The originations have been helped by increases to home prices and an improving job market. According to CoreLogic, the average size of HELOCs originated in the first three quarters of 2015 (measuring the line’s limit at origination) was...