Tax Policy: Many Factors Contributed to the Growth in Home Equity Financing in the 1980s

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the use of home equity financing, focusing on: (1) trends in home equity and mortgage-backed financing, and other types of consumer credit between 1981 and 1991; (2) causes of the growth in home equity financing; (3) problems caused by home equity financing; and (4) the implications of tax policy options to constrain home equity borrowing.