Borrowers struggling to pay back HELOCs

Home equity loans are second mortgages taken out on any equity that may have accumulated by borrowers. This story from CNBC smells trouble for borrowers with this type of debt. 

As home prices rise and the economy recovers, fewer borrowers are falling behind on their mortgages, or at least on their primary mortgages.
During the housing boom, millions of Americans took advantage of equity gains by pulling money out of their homes through home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). These were largely interest-only loans for 10 years, but that decade is now up for some and coming up for many more. Now, as these loans enter their so-called amortization period—the time when borrowers must start paying down the principal—a growing number can't.