Borrowers took out about 230,200 home-equity lines of credit in the first quarter, up 9% from a year prior, letting them tap up to $23.4 billion, the highest quarterly amount since 2008. Home-equity lines of credit, which are commonly known as Helocs and which account for most home-equity lending, had an average rate of 5.01% in June, down from 5.16% a year earlier, according to mortgage-information website HSH.com. The most common reason borrowers give for taking out loans and lines of credit is to pay for renovations.