Here’s why the housing market should expect a cash-out refi boom

Equity levels are climbing while mortgage rates are falling, and this has some predicting an inevitable boom in cash-out refinances. Capital Economics says the number of cash-outs will reach a 10-year high in the next couple of years. But before warning bells sound for those who remember the role cash-outs played in the collapse of the housing market, keep in mind that mortgage lending and consumer attitudes have changed since the mid-2000s.