Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Getting Personal Loans With Bad Credit

The number of times a poor financial situation requires an injection of funds is often more frequent than we would like. When it comes to seeking a solution, and applying for a personal loan with bad credit, there can be some hurdles in the way.
The good news, of course, is that there are options available, even for those of us with very poor credit histories. Securing approval with low credit scores is not actually at the heart of the challenge; proving the loan is affordable is the key.
But while it might seem a straightforward matter to meet the necessary criteria, there can be complications to the process if the proper preparation is not put in. Securing the green light on an application for a personal loan, especially from bad credit borrowers, require some specific steps.

Evaluate Your Circumstances:
The first step to take is to look carefully as the state of your own financial affairs. There is no room for wishful thinking here. Getting a personal loan with bad credit is difficult enough without choosing to avoid reality.
There are ways to improve a credit score, not least by clearing up some of the debts that already exist. But the real point to evaluating your situation is to see what loan is affordable and therefore attainable. We may want to borrow $50,000 to clear every debt in one fell swoop, but we may only be able to afford $15,000.
To secure approval with low credit scores, it is essential to know how much can be made in repayments, and to stick to that budget. Remember that lenders adhere to the debt-to-income ratio, which sets 40% of available income as the limit to debt repayments. So, just 40% of your excess income is the maximum repayment on a personal loan that can be made.

Seek Out Online Lenders:
Another point is that traditional lenders rarely offer decent loan deals, especially on personal loans with bad credit. Their interest rates are high and their charges and penalty schemes are strict. Often, the loan limits are too low, so no real impact can be made even if the loan were approved.
Online lenders are recognized experts in bad credit lending, with a structure to their loan packages that are designed specifically to match the needs of bad credit borrowers. Interest rates are usually much lower, and the loan term longer, ensuring the lowest possible monthly repayment sum. With these factors, approval with low credit scores is much more likely.
However, as with all unsecured personal loans, there are limits to how much can be borrowed. Again, this is where your budget comes into play, but remember that some online lenders limit their loans with no collateral to $5,000.

Consider a Cosigner:
But what if the loan needed is higher than can be secured? Perhaps, a consolidation loan of $50,000 is needed to make real progress, but getting a personal loan with bad credit of that size is practically impossible.
By finding a cosigner for the loan, that situation is reversed and approval is practically guaranteed. This is because a cosigner guarantees that repayments will be made, even when the borrower is unable to.
And with the risk of default removed, there is no reason to reject the application, so the likelihood of getting approval with low credit scores is extremely high. Still, not just anyone can be accepted as a cosigner. They need to have an excellent credit history and a large enough income to meet the personal loan repayments if necessary.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Tips to Apply for a Small Business Loan Online

You do get some advantages when you decide to apply for a small personal loan online instead of going to a regular bank or financial institution's office or local branch. By the way I am not saying you should stop going to your banks for loan applications and do everything online. There are always advantages and disadvantages of everything. It's just that with the Internet you are able to carry out things a lot faster.
With that said, when you apply for loans using the Internet, you get to pre-qualify for the loan almost instantly which let's you know whether the loan will be approved or not. Also, using the Internet to apply for small personal loans saves you a lot of time in the process. This is obvious, right? Using the Internet for loan applications allows you the opportunity to compare various lenders within minutes so that you can make up your mind quickly as to which lender you want to make your application with.
You may still be required to send your documents through the mail after the loan has been approved online. However, this is way better than the traditional way of doing loan applications. Here are 5 points you should take with you when applying for a small loan online.

1. Select the best offer by comparing different lenders. Using loan comparison websites, review lenders based on interest rates, amount of loan offered, repayment terms and fees. There are also other lenders who do not give loans to applicants from some states or regions so bear that in mind.
2. After you have selected a lender who offer acceptable terms you are comfortable with, fill out the pre-qualification forms from their website. They usually ask you for your full name, where you live and how long you have lived there, annual income, employment details and personal assets such as a home, if you have one. Some lenders will ask you for references and the reasons why you need the loan so have those ready just in case.
3. With a small personal loan application made via the Internet, you might get an instant response through your email address. However, before the loan is finally granted, the lender would need to verify that the information you supplied on the form is true and correct. They may contact your employer and references you provided to cross-check with them.
4. The lender may need some documentation from you. These may include 3 months bank statement and a copy of your driver's licence. If you are self-employed, you may have to send your tax returns. You can send these through the mail, fax them or visit a local branch to give these documents.
5. Once they receive real copies of the documents, because the small personal loan has already been approved online, you will receive the paperwork (contract) with the terms and conditions of the loan from the lender.
When you get the paperwork, it is important and to your own advantage to read and understand the terms of the loan before you finally sign and send it back to the bank. If there is something you do not understand or are not comfortable with, don't ignore it. Get back to them for clarification.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Auto Dealer Loans

Buying a car is not always the most pleasant experience to go through. Haggling, paperwork, running numbers and signing on the dotted line can take hours. Understanding what your interest rate is, how much your payment will cost you every month, and knowing when you can celebrate your "final payoff" are sometimes unclear as we drive off the lot in our new set of wheels.
Finding a dealer you can trust should be a priority when looking for a new car. Auto dealers can mislead you; no matter how big, fancy, nice or friendly car lots and car sale people can be. Educating yourself before you start the process can save you a great deal of time, money and stress and, in the long run, will have you feeling better about your purchase.
What to look for when making sure you are not being "taken to the bank" with your auto mobile purchase:
In an effort to boost their profits, car dealers may tell you your financing has fallen through. You may get called to come back to the dealership where the dealer then tries to renegotiate the interest rate on your loan. While trying to sell you extra services, accessories and/or warranties, they neglect to tell you that your payment has gone up.
Dealers will also, in some cases, let you drive off the lot with your shiny new car or truck without finalizing your loan paperwork. While they promise to work it out after you leave, they then call you a few days later only to inform you that your loan terms have changed. You then find out that your monthly payments are more than you can afford and now you are back in their office renegotiating your loan terms.
*What to do? Get financing on your own before you go into the dealership. Compare the rate you have been given to what the dealer is offering. Also, focus on the total amount you want to spend on the car versus your monthly car payment. You could end up paying more for the car in an effort to keep your payment at a certain amount.
This could be a case of credit or identity theft. If the dealer tells you that they need to run your credit report even though you are not financing with them, be weary. You are not obligated to let them run your credit, even if they say its part of the Patriot Act which was passed in the effort to combat terrorism. Cases of dealers running a person's credit multiple times for the same loan have been found.
*What to do? If you are already financed through your bank or credit union, tell them that you don't have to, and will not, give them permission to run your credit. As a precaution, check your credit periodically after you buy your car to ensure there are no unknown loans taken out.
This has got to be the most common form of deception in the auto lending industry. Every week you get those car sales ads offering what seems to be "too good to be true" prices. That's because often times they are. Low prices, no down payment and 0% interest rates are advertised but only in the fine print will you realize that these offers are only for those with the highest credit ratings, there may only be one car at that price, or you have to put down a larger than normal down payment.
*What to do? Read the fine print first and foremost! Then call the dealer to find out if the offer applies to only one particular car in stock. Also, find out what the terms and conditions of the loan are and exactly who the offer applies to.
Getting a loan for the purchase of an auto loan is not the same as getting an auto title loan for fast cash. Auto title loan lenders don't run your credit because the loan is based on the value and equity of your car or truck. Payments are set up based on your pay cycle and repayment terms are usually listed on the lenders website. The rates are high but any good auto title loan lender should tell you upfront what you will be paying for your loan.