Home equity loans are those in which a borrower uses equity in his or her home as collateral for a loan. Often consumers take out home equity loans to pay for college, make major renovations to a house or otherwise need a quick and sizeable infusion of cash to pay for expenses. The danger with a home equity loan is that—if unpaid—it could drive someone closer to foreclosure. In fact, the Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC) has an online publication entitled “Putting Your Home on the Loan Line is a Risky Business.”