"What Credit Score Do You Need for a HELOC? What My Lenders' Sheets Say"

Two of the HELOC sheets in my lender file were dated within a week of each other this past May, and they do not agree on the minimum credit score. One opens at 640. The other opens at 660 for a line on the home you live in. A third sheet, for a fixed second mortgage rather than a line, starts at 680.

A home equity line opens at a 640 credit score with one of my wholesale lenders and 660 with another, and the tiers at 680, 720 and 760 raise the maximum combined loan-to-value, the line amount or both.

I'm Jeff Moran, a mortgage broker in Bluffton, South Carolina, originating since 1996, licensed in fifteen states, NMLS #483943, through C2 Financial Corporation. Below are the numbers from three lender sheets, with the sheet name and date beside each one.

If you are still deciding between a line of credit, a lump-sum second mortgage and a cash-out refinance, second mortgages and HELOCs explained walks through that choice.

The minimum credit score for a HELOC on my lenders' sheets

A HELOC is a home equity line of credit, a revolving line secured by your home that you draw from, pay down and draw from again. Each lender sets its own minimum score. The minimum gets you in, and the line size, the combined loan-to-value and the rate are set by the higher tiers.

Quorum Federal Credit Union publishes a Second Lien HELOC matrix dated May 1, 2026, and its minimum FICO is 640. That program covers the home you live in and a second home, and it is not available in Texas.

Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions publishes a Closed End Second & HELOC matrix dated May 8, 2026. For a HELOC on the home you live in, the lowest tier is a 660 score, whether your income is fully documented or shown with bank statements. For a second home or an investment property, the lowest tier is 700.

Luxury Mortgage Corp. publishes Simple Seconds underwriting guidelines, version 3.0, dated May 12, 2026. That is a fixed second mortgage, the lump-sum kind, rather than a line. Section 7.2 sets a minimum score of 680 for every applicant.

Maximum CLTV and line size by credit score

Combined loan-to-value, or CLTV, is your first mortgage balance plus the full line amount, divided by the home's value. A lender caps that number, and on these sheets the cap moves with your score.

Quorum's Second Lien HELOC matrix, May 1, 2026, sets the maximum CLTV on a one-unit home you live in at 95% for a 720 score and above, 90% for 680 to 719, and 80% for 640 to 679. The same matrix caps the line amount by score. At 680 and above, the line can go to $750,000 when the CLTV is under 65% and $500,000 when it is higher. From 660 to 679 the cap is $200,000, and from 640 to 659 it is $100,000.

Angel Oak's Closed End Second & HELOC matrix, May 8, 2026, steps the same way on a home you live in:

Score	Maximum CLTV	Maximum line
660	75%	$400,000
680	75%	$500,000
720	85%	$500,000 (or 75% up to $750,000)
760	90%	$500,000

On a second home or an investment property, Angel Oak allows 75% at a 700 score and 80% at 720, with a $400,000 cap at either score.

Two other numbers move with the score. The first is your debt ratio, your monthly debt payments divided by your monthly income before taxes. Angel Oak's matrix caps it at 45% under a 700 score and 50% at 700 and above. Quorum's matrix uses two ratios: a housing ratio, which is only your home payments against your income, and a total debt ratio, which adds everything else. Quorum caps them at 38% and 43% under a 720 score and 43% and 45% above 720. The matrix writes those cutoffs as under 720 and over 720, so it does not say which pair applies at exactly 720.

The second is reserves, which means money left in savings after closing, measured in months of payments. On the home you live in, Quorum's reserve matrix asks a client with a 640 to 679 score to show three months of payments. A client at 680 and above shows none on a line under $200,000, and the count climbs with the line amount. A second home asks for more at every tier.

The rate moves by band as well. On both HELOC sheets the rate is an index, the prime rate, plus a margin the lender adds, and Quorum's margin grid runs in roughly 20-point score bands from 640 up to 800 and above. I am not printing those margins because they are pricing and they change, and how much your credit score changes your mortgage rate explains the same step mechanism.

Which credit score the lender uses on a HELOC

Each applicant on a mortgage credit report usually has three scores, one from each bureau, and the sheets say which one counts.

Angel Oak's matrix, May 8, 2026, uses the middle score when there is one applicant, and the middle score of the primary wage earner when there is more than one.

Luxury Mortgage's Simple Seconds guidelines, Section 7.2, use the middle score of the primary income earner. If everyone on the loan earns the same, the lowest middle score is used.

Quorum's matrix says a three-bureau credit report is required, the lender uses the score from its own report, and it follows Fannie Mae's guidelines for deciding which score is the qualifying one.

So the score on your banking app is a starting point, and the lender's own pull is the number on the file. Your free score is not your mortgage score explains why the two usually differ.

Bankruptcy, foreclosure and mortgage lates on a HELOC

A bankruptcy, a foreclosure or a late mortgage payment has its own waiting period and its own rules on each sheet, separate from the score.

Mortgage payment history. All three sheets want a clean 24 months. Quorum's matrix says 0x30 in the last 24 months, which means no payment 30 days late in that window, and Angel Oak's matrix and Luxury's Section 7.4 both say 0x30x24.

Bankruptcy, foreclosure, short sale and deed in lieu. A deed in lieu is handing the home back to the lender instead of going through a foreclosure. Quorum's matrix says it follows Fannie Mae's seasoning rules, the waiting periods after one of those events, and then applies overlays of its own no matter how long ago the event was. An overlay is a lender's own rule that is stricter than Fannie Mae's. They are a 700 minimum score, a maximum CLTV of 80%, a maximum line of $150,000, a housing ratio of 34% and a total debt ratio of 38%, and twelve months of reserves. A self-employed client also needs two years of tax returns, and bank statement income is not allowed. A loan modification, deferment or forbearance within the last three years gets the same score, CLTV, line, ratio and reserve overlays at Quorum.

Angel Oak's matrix lists a seven-year seasoning period for a foreclosure, deed in lieu, short sale, forbearance, modification or a 120-day mortgage late, and 60 months from the discharge date for a bankruptcy.

Luxury's Section 7.5 treats a foreclosure, short sale, deed in lieu, bankruptcy of any chapter, modification or a 120-day mortgage late as a significant credit event. Its table shows an applicant zero to five years removed from one is not eligible.

Each of those waiting periods counts from a specific date. Angel Oak counts a bankruptcy from the discharge date. Luxury counts from the event's completion or the discharge or dismissal date to the note date. When you can buy a home after a bankruptcy or foreclosure explains which date governs on a first mortgage.

The hard credit pull on a HELOC application

A hard pull is a credit inquiry a lender makes when you apply, and it can lower your score by a few points. A soft pull is a check that does not affect your score. I can read these sheets against a score you give me, and the full credit report comes when you apply.

Quorum's matrix says the approval is valid for 45 days and a new application or a resubmission needs a fresh report. The credit section of Luxury's guidelines says the report is good for 120 days from the report date to the note date, the day you sign the loan. It also asks for a soft pull within ten calendar days of funding, or credit monitoring through the funding date.

The CFPB's explanation of what happens when a mortgage lender checks your credit says that when you shop for a mortgage, multiple credit checks from mortgage lenders within a 45-day window are recorded on your report as a single inquiry. That page is written about shopping for a home loan. Does getting pre-approved hurt your credit score explains why the window on the scores mortgage lenders pull can be shorter, so keeping your applications close together is the safer plan.

A credit score just under a tier break

Say the lender's report comes back at 715, and the tier you wanted starts at 720. There are a few plain things you can do.

The qualifying score is the one to work on. On a two-applicant line at Angel Oak or Luxury, the primary earner's middle score is the number, so raising the other applicant's score changes nothing on those sheets. The exception is Luxury when everyone on the loan earns the same, because then the lowest middle score counts.

Paying down revolving balances before the pull can help, if the money is there. Card balances re-report every statement cycle, so that is the step that can show up on the next report. Eight ways to strengthen your credit before a mortgage covers why paying before the statement date matters.

You can wait a cycle. A score a few points under a tier can move once a paid-down card balance reports, and a short wait is a reasonable plan when the gap is small.

Steps to take before you apply for a HELOC

1. Your current first mortgage statement gives us the balance, and the balance sets the CLTV.
2. The amount you want available decides which tier matters, because the line caps on the sheets are by score.
3. The score your credit app shows lets me read the sheets against it and tell you which tier you are near.

Common mistakes with credit scores and HELOCs

Shopping on the app score alone. A plan built on a 725 that pulls as a 715 drops from Quorum's 95% CLTV tier to its 90% tier, and from Angel Oak's 85% tier to its 75% tier.

Adding the higher-score spouse to fix the tier. At Angel Oak and Luxury the qualifying score belongs to the primary income earner, so adding a spouse who earns less does not change the number.

An example, with invented numbers

Numbers below are made up to show the mechanism. Nothing here is a quote.

Marcus owns the home he lives in. His home is worth about $450,000 and his first mortgage balance is $270,000. He wants an $80,000 line.

Home value                              $450,000
First mortgage balance                  $270,000
Requested line                           $80,000
                                        --------
Total of both liens                     $350,000
Combined loan-to-value                     77.8%

The same file at three different scores, on Quorum's Second Lien HELOC matrix dated May 1, 2026, comes out this way.

At a 650 score, the maximum CLTV on a one-unit home he lives in is 80% and the line cap is $100,000. The $80,000 line fits under both, with three months of reserves required.

At a 665 score, the maximum CLTV is still 80% and the cap rises to $200,000. The $80,000 line fits, the three months of reserves still apply, and the margin band is a different one.

At a 725 score, the maximum CLTV is 95% and the cap is $500,000 at this CLTV. The $80,000 line fits easily, no reserves are required on a line under $200,000, and the margin band is better again.

Marcus gets his $80,000 at every one of those scores; the price, the reserves and the room above his request are what change. At $150,000 instead, the CLTV would be 93.3%, the 650 would be over its $100,000 line cap, the 665 would be over its 80% CLTV cap, and only the 725 would fit.

Your next step

The rate tool on this site prices first mortgages. It does not price a home equity line or a second mortgage, so for those I quote you directly from the current sheets. Placing the line with the lender that fits your file is what a mortgage broker does that a single bank cannot. You are welcome to call me at (843) 765-0000 or email me at jeff@solverya.com.

If the question is really whether to replace your first mortgage with a cash-out refinance instead of adding a second, the rate tool on the homepage can show you pricing for that scenario on your own time. You can choose a rate option that works best for you, and that selection can change later. How a fast online HELOC works covers what moves quickly and what still takes time.

Nothing here is a loan approval, a denial or a commitment to lend. Each lender's sheet changes when the lender reissues it, and I check the live sheet before I quote anyone.

Common questions

What is the minimum credit score for a HELOC?

It depends on the lender's sheet. Quorum Federal Credit Union's Second Lien HELOC matrix dated May 1, 2026, sets a 640 minimum FICO on the home you live in or a second home. Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions' Closed End Second & HELOC matrix dated May 8, 2026, starts its HELOC at 660 on the home you live in and 700 on a second home or investment property. Luxury Mortgage's Simple Seconds guidelines, dated May 12, 2026, start a fixed second mortgage at 680.

Does a HELOC use the middle credit score?

On the sheets I work from, yes. Angel Oak's matrix uses the middle score for a single applicant and the middle score of the primary wage earner when there is more than one. Luxury Mortgage's Section 7.2 uses the middle score of the primary income earner. Quorum uses the score from its own three-bureau report and follows Fannie Mae's guidelines for choosing the qualifying score.

Can I get a HELOC after a bankruptcy or foreclosure?

Sometimes, and the terms are tighter. Quorum's matrix, May 1, 2026, follows Fannie Mae seasoning and then applies overlays regardless of timing: a 700 minimum score, a maximum CLTV of 80%, a lower maximum line and twelve months of reserves. Angel Oak's matrix, May 8, 2026, lists seven years for a foreclosure, deed in lieu, short sale, forbearance or modification and 60 months from the discharge date for a bankruptcy. Luxury's guidelines do not allow an applicant within five years of a significant credit event.

Does applying for a HELOC do a hard pull on my credit?

Yes. Quorum's matrix says a three-bureau credit report is required and the lender uses its own report's score. Luxury's guidelines give the report 120 days of life and add a soft pull within ten days of funding. The CFPB says that when you shop for a mortgage, multiple credit checks from mortgage lenders within a 45-day window count on your report as one inquiry. The window on the scores mortgage lenders pull can be shorter, so it is safer to keep your applications close together.