Table of Contents

Truist: 2024 Home Equity Review

If you have excellent credit, this HELOC lender offers low interest rates and flexible loan terms.

Why You Can Trust CNET Money
Our mission is to help you make informed financial decisions, and we hold ourselves to strict . This post may contain links to products from our partners, which may earn us a commission. Here’s a more detailed explanation of .
Truist

Truist

Highlights
Product offered
HELOC, fixed-rate HELOC
APR
8.50% to 16% (see website for introductory offers)
Credit score
Not disclosed
Contact information
844-4TRUIST (844-487-8478)

Truist offers a broad range of financial services to people along the East Coast and southern US. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company provides home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), but not home equity loans in 17 states plus the District of Columbia.

Truist made our list of the best HELOC lenders because of its fast funding, fixed-rate HELOC option and straightforward application process.

Truist: At a glance

Products offeredHELOC, fixed-rate HELOC
APR range8.50% to 16% (see website for introductory offers)
Loan amounts$15,000 to $1 million
Credit score requirementsNot disclosed
Repayment termsHELOC: 10-year draw period, 20-year repayment periodFixed-rate HELOC: 5-, 10-, 15-, 20- or 30-years
Average time to close30-35 days
Rates as of June 26, 2024

Truist is best suited to people looking for a straightforward HELOC, who have a good or excellent credit score and live in one of the states that it services. Truist often offers competitive introductory rates, but they’re only available to borrowers with excellent credit scores

When considering borrowing against your home equity, it’s important to weigh the upsides and downsides of each lender. Here’s an overview of the major pros and cons of Truist.

Pros

  • Variable and fixed-rate options: The ability to convert some of your variable-rate loan can be useful, especially if rates are increasing.

  • Low closing costs: Truist will waive most of your closing costs as long as you keep your account open for at least three years.

  • Easy access: Truist customer service is available in person or by phone Monday through Saturday.

Cons

  • Less transparency: Detailed information about eligibility and loan terms is hard to find on Truist’s website, so you’ll need to contact customer service or start an application to learn more.

  • Limited availability: Truist will only service loans for properties located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

  • Some homes not covered: To qualify for a HELOC, your home must be an owner-occupied, single-family, primary residence, second home or condo. Investment properties, mobile homes and manufactured homes don’t qualify.

Home equity loan options

HELOC: You can borrow anywhere from $15,000 to $1 million with Truist’s HELOC. It has a standard 10-year draw period and 20-year repayment period. Truist has a minimum draw requirement of $5,000. 

Fixed-rate HELOC: Truist offers a rate-lock option, where you can convert up to five portions of your HELOC balance into a fixed-rate loan. You’ll need to pay a $15 service fee each time, and each lock will have a separate repayment term between five and 30 years

Fees 

Truist provides options for closing costs. Truist will waive them as long as you keep your account open for at least three years. Otherwise, you’re on the hook for the origination fees and closing fees, which vary by state but usually cost between 2% and 5% of your loan amount.

There is also a $50 annual fee in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey and Ohio. 

You’ll be charged a $15 service fee each time you lock in a fixed rate on a portion of your loan balance.

How to qualify 

Qualifying for a Truist HELOC depends on various factors, including your credit score, the amount of your home equity, your debt-to-income ratio, and your assets, debts and collateral. No single factor will determine eligibility, but having a good credit score will often translate to a lower interest rate. 

Truist doesn’t provide details for specific credit scores needed to qualify for products on its website. You can call or visit your local branch to find out the specific requirements for that area. If you have questions when a branch isn’t open, you can contact customer service by phone.

Applying for a HELOC with Truist

Applying for a HELOC or loan with Truist is fairly simple and can be done online or in person. If you’re not a US citizen or you’re under 18 years old, you must visit a branch in person.

Applying on the company’s website should take about 20 minutes. You’ll need to provide some personal information including:

  • Social security number
  • Phone number
  • Address and employment history for the last two years
  • Financial history including income and debts
  • List of collateral property

Once you are approved, it typically takes between 30 and 35 days to close.

Customer service

You can contact Truist by visiting a branch (call for local hours) or calling 844-4TRUIST Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Automated assistance is available 24 hours a day. If you’re looking for general info, you may be able to find answers on the company’s Help Center.

Emma Woodward is a personal finance writer with a passion for simplifying tricky financial concepts. She has covered loans, budgeting and credit cards for Bankrate, The Financial Diet, Finch, Gusto and Human Interest. When she's not helping you balance your budget, you can find her writing about real estate, food and restaurant tech.
Katherine Watt is a CNET Money writer focusing on mortgages, home equity and banking. She previously wrote about personal finance for NextAdvisor. Based in New York, Katherine graduated summa cum laude from Colgate University with a bachelor's degree in English literature.
Advertiser Disclosure

CNET editors independently choose every product and service we cover. Though we can’t review every available financial company or offer, we strive to make comprehensive, rigorous comparisons in order to highlight the best of them. For many of these products and services, we earn a commission. The compensation we receive may impact how products and links appear on our site.

Editorial Guidelines

Writers and editors and produce editorial content with the objective to provide accurate and unbiased information. A separate team is responsible for placing paid links and advertisements, creating a firewall between our affiliate partners and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers.

How we make money

CNET Money is an advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We’re compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and services, or when you click on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact where and in what order affiliate links appear within advertising units. While we strive to provide a wide range of products and services, CNET Money does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.