Where the rate numbers on this site come from, how often we check them, and what happens when one is wrong.
HELOCCalcTools runs on a published weekly rate survey and a couple of standard lending formulas, not on guesswork. This page explains where those inputs come from and who's responsible for them. See the authors page for who writes here.
The average HELOC rate shown across this site is pulled from Bankrate's national lender survey, a rate check across a panel of lenders that Bankrate runs and publishes every week. We stamp each reading with the week it was taken rather than treating it as permanent, since the figure can move within days of a Federal Reserve rate decision.
The combined loan-to-value cap the Home Equity Calculator defaults to, 85 percent, reflects common current lender practice rather than a rule set by a single regulator. We review that default, along with the draw-period and repayment-period lengths used across the calculators, at the start of each year and sooner if lending practice shifts. The 2026 HELOC Rate and Limit Reference carries the dated detail and a downloadable CSV.
Every tool runs one of two published formulas: the interest-only draw-period calculation, balance times rate divided by twelve, or the standard loan amortization formula lenders use once repayment begins. None of it is proprietary or hidden behind a black box, and we check each calculator against hand-worked examples before it ships.
If a figure on this site looks stale, wrong, or doesn't match a source we cite, tell us and we'll check it. Chris Terry, who owns this site, reviews correction requests personally and updates the page once a fix is confirmed, usually within a few days.
Jessica Martinez writes the calculator explainers and guides on this site. Full background on her and on Chris is on the authors page.