best heloc lenders in texas: my first-time search and proof points

I'm new to HELOCs, and while crawling through I-35 traffic I called two lenders; their Dallas and Houston quotes landed at 7.75% and 8.49% variable APR. That nudge pushed me to compare more methodically.

What I verified

• Most cap combined loan-to-value at 80% under Texas home-equity rules; draws often 10 years, repayment 10 - 20.
• Turnarounds: preapproval 1 - 3 business days; appraisal 3 - 10; funding shortly after clear-to-close.
• Fees varied: some "no-closing-cost" promos; others ran roughly 0 - 1.5% plus early-closure clauses.

How I'm choosing

1. I'm comparing Texas HELOC rates, checking HELOC requirements in Texas, weighing HELOC vs cash-out refinance Texas, asking about credit union HELOC Texas perks, and hunting no-closing-cost HELOC Texas.
2. Some say big nationals are always best; gently disagree - I saw a local credit union match rate and trim fees. I'll demand written quotes from at least three and verify index, margin, caps, and costs.