Investors closing an equity account outright are as likely as not to open a new bond fund or money market account.

FORBES: The Track Less Taken

The US stock market is up over 20% in the last 12 months, so a million dollars in an equity account somewhere probably returned at least that.

FORBES: On Washington, Investor Confidence At Zero

People use an investment product, such as an equity based investment in an Individual Savings Account, to pay off the debt at the end of the mortgage period - typically after 25 years.

BBC: Q&A: House prices rise again

For 88% of Equity's customers, the bank was the first bank at which they ever opened an account, and more than three-quarters of Equity's loans are unsecured by collateral.

WSJ: Using Small Loans to Generate Big Profits

For early boomers with exposure to the downturn (that is having two of these assets: housing equity, a 401(k) plan or an Individual Retirement Account), they need to sock away a median 7% more of their compensation each year, including raises, until they reach 65, says Jack VanDerhei, research director of the Employee Benefits Research Institute in Washington, D.

FORBES: Savings Crisis For Some Early Boomers