Unlocking the Equity Era: Why 2025 is the Year of the HELOC

See how evolving credit scores, alternative data, and verification tools could help lenders improve the mortgage process and expand access to homeownership.

In this HousingWire conversation, Allison LaForgia speaks with Michele Bodda, Group President of Experian Housing, Verification Solutions and Employer Services. Bodda discusses how lenders can put modern credit scoring and consumer data to work in underwriting today.

Watch the video to hear about:

• Using alternative credit data to better represent consumers with limited traditional credit histories

• Bringing the right information into the underwriting process at the right time

• How Power Profile Plus lets lenders request another score later in the process without repurchasing the underlying credit data

• Experian’s investment in income and employment verification, including its partnership with Workday

• Opportunities to improve efficiency and help more people pursue homeownership

In this episode of the Chrisman Commentary, we explore why income and employment verification are reaching a turning point for mortgage lenders and borrowers alike. Ryan Rosales discusses how new data sources, including Experian Verify’s integration with Workday, are helping move the industry beyond the traditional choice between a few verification providers and cumbersome manual documentation. Tune in to hear how greater competition, expanded data coverage, real-time verification, and a more open ecosystem could reduce borrower friction, lower lender costs, and potentially reshape the future of mortgage origination. 

The U.S. housing market may begin to thaw in 2027, but improvement won't be universal. Changing affordability, borrower readiness, household finances and property-level costs will shape where opportunity emerges and who is positioned to act.

Experian's 2027 State of the U.S. Housing Market Report takes a closer look at the consumer, financial, and market signals behind these shifts, helping lenders look beyond national averages to understand where housing opportunity may be emerging, for whom, and under what conditions.

Inside the report

Explore the trends and data shaping the 2027 housing market, including:

• Mortgage demand and borrower readiness
• The true cost of homeownership
• Regional market conditions
• Household financial resilience
• Home equity and lending opportunity
• Renter sentiment and future demand
• Economic and consumer trends

Explore research on what financial institutions need to move AI initiatives forward responsibly.

• Understand the data and governance barriers slowing AI adoption
• See where lenders are investing to strengthen AI foundations
• Learn why data lineage, explainability and trust matter for scale
• Explore how connected intelligence can support modern lending