U.S. Mortgage Holders Hold Record $18 Trillion in Home Equity

U.S. mortgage holders held a record $18 trillion in home equity in Q2 2026, according to ICE Mortgage Technology's August 2026 Mortgage Monitor. Of that sum, $11.7 trillion was classified as potentially tappable equity held by 47.5 million borrowers. About 813,000 borrowers owed more than their homes were worth, up 44% from a year earlier; the increase was concentrated among FHA and VA borrowers and people who bought between 2022 and 2025. ATTOM's Q2 2026 report found 41.1% of mortgaged residential properties were equity-rich, meaning secured loan balances were no more than half estimated market value. Vermont ranked first at 78.9%, nearly 38 points above the national rate, followed by Montana (59.0%), Rhode Island (54.9%), South Dakota (53.6%) and New Hampshire (53.1%). Seven of the ten highest-ranking states are in the Northeast. Louisiana ranked last at 17.5%, then Minnesota (20.1%), Maryland (28.0%), Alaska (30.4%) and Iowa (32.2%). The equity-rich share fell from 47.4% in Q2 2025 after four straight quarterly declines and stood near a five-year low. What is contested and who says what: no dispute found in the record on the figures. ATTOM updated its report to exclude transactions where a single jumbo loan is secured by multiple properties and did not quantify the effect, leaving the scale of that methodology shift unresolved for year-over-year comparisons. Rated coverage was limited to one right-leaning outlet.