Looking for New Home Equity? Local Banks Have Best Deals

They're baaack! Home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs--an early casualty of the housing bust--are growing in popularity again as cheap rates lure homeowners looking for funds to pay for student loans and home renovations, among other needs. The key difference this time around is that many are turning to local lenders instead of the big banks. Over the past two years, many banks made headlines by freezing HELOCs or lowering their amounts as home