Will history repeat?

Cash-Out Refinancings Hit Highest Level Since Financial Crisis 

Americans extracted more cash from their homes through cash-out refinancings in 2020 than in any year since the financial crisis.

U.S. homeowners cashed out $152.7 billion in home equity last year, a 42% increase from 2019 and the most since 2007, according to mortgage-finance giant Freddie Mac . It was a blockbuster year for mortgage originations in general as well: Lenders churned out more mortgages than ever in 2020, fueled by about $2.8 trillion in refis, according to mortgage-data firm Black Knight Inc.