You have erratic or hard-to-prove income: Because home equity borrowing is a secured loan and a number of lenders still base loan approval on credit score alone, you have a better chance of approval, providing your credit score is good. Plus a line of credit can act as backup between income infusions, usually at a lower rate than credit cards. Your child is applying for financial aid at a private school: Need-based student aid decisions are determined partially on your assets, including primary residences whereas credit card debt is not reflected. Consolidating credit card or other outstanding debt using home equity dissipates the value of that asset, more accurately reflecting your financial picture. NOTE: This does not apply to FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, used at state schools.

In real estate lingo, a point is one percentage point of the overall loan that is paid up front, typically at the time of closing. For example, if you are borrowing $150,000 on a mortgage loan and will be paying three points, you will pay $4,500 up front. Paying points generally lowers the interest rate on your loan. When determining whether you want pay for points, think about how long you expect to live in the house. Over a short time frame -- less than five years or so -- paying points usually doesn't makes sense, as you will pay more in points than you will save in interest. However, if you plan to stay in the house for 10 or 20 years or longer, points will pay off over time. Although the prospect of paying a few thousand dollars more initially isn't very attractive, you may be able to save money over the duration of the mortgage.

Recasting a mortgage loan typically comes up in one of three contexts. The first is when a homeowner wants to pay down principal and have the loan reamortized. That's the type of recasting you're talking about. The second is when a homeowner is in financial distress and wants to extend the term of the loan to reduce the monthly payment. Finally, a negative amortization loan is typically recast to a larger monthly payment after the loan balance has increased by a set percentage, or at a time certain, so the loan will amortize over its remaining loan term. The balance of my reply will focus on the type of mortgage recast you're asking about, namely paying down the loan to resize the monthly mortgage payment.

Too many borrowers may be unfairly blaming credit scores for their higher-than-expected loan rates or extra credit-card fees, according to a recent working paper. The real culprit may be your own misunderstanding of how the lending process works, coupled with a failure to conduct adequate research before you apply, suggests the MIT Department of Economics working paper. The paper, written by a team of Federal Reserve and university researchers led by Sumit Agarwal of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, admits a FICO credit score may determine if you're offered a loan. But other factors may contribute more heavily to your rate and fees.

As mortgage woes spread, what's a nervous borrower to do? Mike Wilt, who lives in Uniontown, Ohio, is trying to figure that out. Mr. Wilt, a marketing director for a communications firm, is current on his $180,000 adjustable-rate mortgage -- the home's price when he paid for it. But he says he may soon start to fall behind, as he's been notified that his interest rate jumped to 11.5% from 8.5% in September, which will cost him an extra $400 a month. When he tried to refinance back in March, Mr. Wilt was turned down for a loan with better terms because of his credit score; not even his boss's friends from a local bank could help. "The rules that got me into the original mortgage had changed," says the 31-year-old, referring to what he perceives as tougher lending standards.

The political debate over how to deal with a surge in defaults on home loans is raising a question that consumers ought to consider: Is my mortgage broker really working for me? Borrowers often see mortgage brokers as their allies, searching far and wide for just the right home loan at an attractively low price. But many brokers are making it clear they don't see things that way. They are fighting efforts by federal and state politicians to impose a fiduciary duty on them to put their customers' interests first, as lawyers, real-estate agents and financial planners generally are required to do with their clients.

A home is yours forever. As long as you can afford the mortgage and taxes, you don't ever have to move. There's no landlord to terminate your lease, raise your rent or deny you permission to make changes to the property. Homeownership also forces you to save. If you have a traditional 30-year or 15-year mortgage, a small portion of each monthly payment reduces your indebtedness. And the amount that goes toward amortizing the loan increases over time. This can be very useful for people who lack the discipline to save on their own.

Many programs offer to bail you out of an impending mortgage rate increase. Do any really help? Major considerations: Often, these programs require counseling sessions, which may take too long if you're in a loan due to reset soon. Some have special requirements, which may disqualify you. You first may have to negotiate with your lender, who may or may not help. The loan terms for which you qualify may be unattractive. Also, investment property or non-owner-occupied property may be excluded.

World climate has ice ages, and baseball had a Dead Ball Era. Mortgages have their defining epochs, too. In 2003, when mortgage rates dropped below 5.5 percent for a time, it was the Year of the Refinance. The years 2004 through 2006 constituted the Era of the Exotic Mortgage, when homebuyers were eager to get any type of loan so they could grab houses before prices were out of reach. Then came 2007, the Year of Reckoning, when home prices went down and the foreclosure rate went up. And 2008 will be the Year of the Refinance again, but for different reasons than those that drove the refi boom of 2003. Five years ago, low rates spurred people to refinance. In 2008, homeowners will refi because their adjustable-rate mortgages will hit their reset dates, sending rates skyward.

Reverse mortgages used to be a way for homeowners to get extra cash during retirement. Now they're also being used for a more-pressing purpose: helping people who are struggling to meet payments on high-interest-rate loans to keep their homes. The strategy, which is relatively novel but gaining popularity among legal-aid attorneys and housing advocates around the country, calls for persuading lenders to take the cash generated by a reverse mortgage in lieu of foreclosing on older homeowners.