Back when the real estate market was flying at 30,000 feet, getting a home-equity line of credit was a pretty straightforward process. You called a toll-free number, asked for a loan, and within hours, a guy with a suitcase full of money showed up at your door.

It's a lot harder now. Some lenders have stopped offering home-equity lines of credit and home-equity loans altogether, even to borrowers with good credit. And lenders that still offer the loans are being a lot more selective.

The lenders that have cut back on home-equity loans and credit lines are mainly those that raise money by selling the loans to investors. Investors have stopped buying such mortgages since the subprime market collapsed, says Bob Walters, chief economist for Quicken Loans, which has stopped offering home-equity loans or lines of credit.

Walters says investors have backed away from second mortgages for the same reason they've abandoned jumbo mortgages (those that exceed $417,000).

Because investment mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae won't buy jumbos or second mortgages, these loans are considered riskier than so-called conforming loans.

But just as community and national banks are offering jumbo loans, many banks, savings and loans and credit unions are still providing home-equity loans and credit lines, says Keith Gum-binger, vice president for HSH Associates, a publisher of mortgage information.

These lenders typically use customer deposits to finance loans, so they're not beholden to Wall Street, he says.

Whether you're shopping for a home-equity line of credit or a home-equity loan, here's what to expect: