Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Banks, Loans & How To Save Big Bucks
Are you familiar with your credit report and FICO score? If not, you should be. Visit annualcreditreport.com to receive a free copy of your credit report, from each of the three credit reporting agencies, once every 12 months. Typically, these reports are $9.00 each but many consumers do not realize that they are entitled to a free copy every year. There are no catches, no gimmicks and no trial period in any type of paid service in order to gain access through this website. The information contained in your credit file is one of the top factors in determining your loan amount, interest rate and ultimately a decision as to approval or denying the loan request. Everyone should be familiar with their credit report, verify the accuracy of their contents and correct any mistakes that are present. The FICO score is a number that is calculated based on previous payment history, debt to balance ratio and length of credit history. The higher your FICO score, the lower your interest rates.
During the loan application process, banks will retrieve a copy of your credit report. They will also request certain other information, which only you can provide. Among the items that banks request when processing a loan application include current pay stubs, a copy of the previous two years of tax returns and possibly even bank statements and proof of employment. When applying for a large loan, patience is the key. Some banks respond within 24 hours while others may take up to a week. Even if one bank denies your request, don’t give up. Try other banks, who may be enticed to extend a loan in hopes of gaining you as a future customer.
These days, there are loan opportunities for practically everyone. No credit, bad credit, slow credit. You name it and there are banks out there who want your business, but there may be a catch. Depending on your credit history, you may end up spending more than twice as much in interest as someone with a spotless credit record.
Some banks do not specialize in large loans, such as home and auto, but rather extend smaller lines of credit to consumers. These lenders typically issue credit cards to those who are approved. While your credit history does play a large role in determining your interest rates with credit cards, it does not determine other miscellaneous fees. Certain fees, which are charged by banks issuing credit cards, are blanket fees issued to everyone who carries a line of credit. Late fees, overlimit fees and annual fees are among the miscellaneous fees charged by many credit card companies. Avoid banks that charge excessive fees upfront and reduce a large amount of your available credit with said fees. With credit cards, keep in mind that interest rates can skyrocket after only one missed payment. You will save a lot of money by paying on time, every time and by keeping your credit card debt to a minimum.
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Friday, April 9, 2010
A Debt Consolidation Program To Relieve Debt
Debt consolidation programs are good if you are paying on several different loans. They can make your life easier by giving you one monthly payment. Your monthly debt decreases if the program you use for debt consolidation stretches your payments over a long period of time. Paying less every month will free up some extra cash. A successful strategy sometimes is to use a debt consolidation program. With these programs you can manage various high-rate revolving debts with one payment. Let’s say you have several high credit card balances with high interest rates. With the debt consolidation program, you will be able to lower the interest rate you’re paying and manage the debt better.
Debt Consolidation Programs Reminders A debt consolidation program doesn’t eliminate your debt. All these programs do is move your debt to make it easier to make the payments. You will have to pay the money back sooner or later since you do owe it.
One problem with a debt consolidation program is you will feel like you owe less. Your credit cards will again have large amounts of available credit for you to use. Beware of digging yourself into a deeper hole by continuing to add to these balances.
With a debt consolidation loan you may end up paying more in total interest. By stretching your payments over a longer period of time, your total interest cost could possibly be higher. Of course, it may help you more easily manage your current cash flow.
There are risks by using debt consolidation programs. If you’re using a home equity loan or line of credit to consolidate your debt, the consequences of falling behind on the payments can be disastrous. You could lose your home if it is pledged as collateral against your loan. How to Choose the Best Debt Consolidation Programs You should shop around to find a program that fits your needs. Local credit unions and banks you already deal with are a good place to start.
They are a reliable source and will most likely give you a fair deal. You might also try a bank you aren’t currently working with. Be careful of scams though, when searching the Internet for debt consolidation.
When searching for a debt management company, look for experience, how professional the company is, their assistance and budgeting services. Try to find a local company you can communicate with without having to drive for hours to talk to your counselor.
The debt management industry is unregulated. Scam artist are out there waiting to charge your outrageous fees without informing you of the best solution for your situation. Try to find out some of their customers and talk to them. Get recommendations and research online if possible. When you team up with a debt management company who is less than above board, you may be left feeling insecure. You should relate well with your counselor and understand what they suggest. That peace of mind should help you pursue your goals and your financial future more comfortably.
Also the debt management company your choose should be a be advise you on how to deal with angry creditors, whether bankruptcy is an option or how to consolidate debt or simply reorganize your bill payment schedule.
Remember, your main goal is to work towards a better understanding of your financial debts. You will want to learn how to take care of your own debts, assets, and financial goals through your counselor’s advice. The debt management and debt consolidation is only stepping stone towards your own financial self-reliance.
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Friday, April 2, 2010
Breaking down Debt Consolidation
The Problem:
The financial situation for the hypothetical person here has become very bleak. They have $10,000 left on their car loan, their mortgage still has a balance of $80,000 and when you toss in all of their other credit card debt, you get to the point where they are in debt up to $100,000 all things said and done. Now, $100,000 is a lot of money and in the case of a typical family it might even be more than three years worth of their wages, so ultimately when you take a look at the $100,000 of debt, you would want some plan that would allow you to deal with it.
The Solution:
When you look at all of the different solutions, the first thing that you need to do in all of them is get your bearings. While the car loan and mortgage only represent two different sources of debt, the remaining $10,000 might come from as many as five or six other sources and that can make it very difficult to keep track of. So what you want to do is consolidate those debt sources into one debt source and the way to do that is to take out a home equity loan of $20,000 to pay off everything else and combine that $20,000 with the $80,000 mortgage that you already might have.
The Benefits:
Aside from the convenience factor of only having one source of debt instead of several as was discussed above, there is also the interest rate factor. While the average mortgage will have an interest rate between 5% and 7% and most car loans will as well, credit card debt is usually going to be two to three times that amount and likely four or five times that amount if the debt is because of cash advances. So the interest rates would get lowered whenever you take a look at it that way.
Now, credit card minimum monthly repayment amounts are such that you are going to usually be paying at least 5% of your balance each month; in other words, credit card companies expect that any balance you happen to generate on your credit card can be cleared up in less than two years. Mortgages, as many people are aware, have 20 to 25 year terms and therefore the monthly repayment amount of consolidated debt will also be lower and therefore easier to manage.
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