Personal Loans - How To Make Sure You Get The Best Deal

If you are in need of obtaining additional money quickly, then your main choices are using a credit card or obtaining a personal loan from a bank, building society or from a specialist loan company. For short term borrowing credit cards can be useful, but for longer term borrowing a loan may seem to be the best option. Whenever you take out a loan or credit agreement, your prospective lender will assess your personal circumstances and decide whether to offer to lend you the funds you require subject to its repayment with added interest being paid.

Depending on the result of a financial health check (completed by the lender), you may be offered, on average, up to £15,000 to be paid back over a period of between 6 months to 10 years. The actual amount that you can borrow and the interest rate charged will depend on factors such as your past credit record, amount requested, duration of loan, purpose of the loan, whether the amount borrowed is secured or unsecured, and acceptance of various terms and conditions applied by the lender.

What is the difference between a secured and an unsecured loan? An unsecured loan is where the loan repayments are not tied to any additional guarantee except the loan agreement. Should you default on payments you could damage your credit rating or become blacklisted which may lead to future difficulties in taking out a new credit card, a mortgage, additional loans, or obtaining interest-free deals in shops. A secured loan is one where you provide collateral which will guarantee the repayment of the loan should you find yourself in unexpected difficulties. This type of loan is usually secured against your house, which means that if you cannot meet the loan repayment schedule, you may be required to sell your house in order to pay back the money borrowed. Secured loans are generally seen as less of a risk by lenders, as they are likely more to recover their money if things go wrong. This means that the amount that can be borrowed is usually higher, and the rates offered are often much better than would be obtained on an unsecured loan.

An important point to note is that rates can vary considerably. On a £5000 unsecured loan repaid over two years without any adverse credit history, financial comparison site Moneynet ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk/loans/index.shtml ) provided results varying from an annual percentage rate (APR) of 5.5% to 15.9% which would make a difference of £525.36 over the life of the loan. Don't just take the first loan you see.

Another factor to bear in mind when looking for any financial product is to ensure you are comparing like-with-like. Different lenders calculate the annual percentage rate (APR) in different ways. Don't simply look at the monthly interest rates - these are frequently lower than the annual rate and can make you think you have got a much better deal than you have in reality.

Remember to check all the details and small print of a loan before taking out any type of financial agreement to ensure you understand what is required of you and that the loan meets your requirements. Bear in mind that in general, the shorter the repayment period of a loan, the less interest that you will be required to pay. However according to IntelligentFinance ( http://www.if.com/loan/loan_home.asp ), over a third of the UK adult population are unaware that 75% of personal loan providers levy penalties on borrowers who want to repay their debt early. This could prove to be an expensive surprise and IF estimates that it is currently costing consumers about £336m a year.

Should you get rejected for a loan at a bank or building society, it is useful to know that they are obliged to explain the reasons for doing so. Any time that you are rejected you should also run a check on your credit history to make sure no mistakes have been made, and you can request that a notification of correction is made to prevent the same thing occurring in the future.

The most important things to do when looking for a loan are to:

* decide on your loan requirements * compare as many of the products being offered as possible * read the small print * choose whether you are happy with the terms being offered * ensure you can meet the repayments * only make one application at a time.

Useful resources:

BBC credit scoring links ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/moneybox/4315456.stm ) Moneynet loan comparisons ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk/loans/index.shtml )

Disclaimer:

All information contained in this article, is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as advice under the Financial Services Act 1986.

You are strongly advised to take appropriate professional and legal advice before entering into any binding contracts.




About the Author
Richard lives in Edinburgh, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla ( http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/ ), and listens to music no one else likes.

Home Loans

Approvals of home loans in January 2005 fell to their lowest level since January 1999. Only 126,300 mortgage loans were approved throughout the month, representing a 28% year-on-year drop in mortgage loan approvals. With competition between lenders in the home loans market remaining strong, and fewer mortgage applications to go round, now is a good time to take stock of your mortgage with a view to moving your home loan to a more competitive home loans provider.




Are you paying too much for your mortgage?

Many home owners across the UK do not realise that they are paying too much for their mortgage. A recent survey conducted on behalf of one of the major high street lenders who have a presence on the Internet concluded that at least a third of home owners are paying as much as 2% more for their home loans than they should be. If you're on a standard variable mortgage rate or have been on a discounted loans product or fixed rate loans product where the preferential rates period has expired, then you too could be paying more than you need to for your home loan.

How to get the best deal on home loans.

To see if you are paying over the odds for your mortgage you'll need to dig out your last mortgage statement. On the statement it will quote the interest rate you are paying and will most likely quote the loans product that you are signed up to. To see if you can get a better deal all you need do is search the Internet for UK mortgage loans and take a look at the products on offer.

Some of the best loans can currently be found in fixed rate mortgages. Interest rates are as low as 4.44% in some instances, fixed for 3 years or more. Even a five-year fixed home loan may be taken out with some lenders for around 5%.




Some important points!

Before transferring your home loan to another provider it is important to consider the following points...

1) Restrictions on current mortgage loans - do you have any penalty clauses in your home loan that would be charged if you were to swap mortgage provider? Penalty clauses are common on discounted home loan products and fixed rate mortgage loans, tying you in to that product for a set period of time.

2) Arrangement fees - Many loans providers who offer low interest rates to their customers compensate for their loss by increasing their credit arrangement fees and other additional charges such as valuation fees. It is a good idea to look out for loans companies that are running offers of reduced arrangement fees and/or free valuations, enabling you to get the best deal.




About the Author
Matthew Bourne has been working in the loans, mortgage and life insurance industry for over 10yrs and is currently working for http://www.loansgalaxy.com/secured-loans/uk/home/

Cheap loans - dirt will seem costlier!

Loans culture has grown considerably in recent times. Like any growing industry, loans industry has healthy competition. This competition has furthered the cause of finding cheap loans in UK. Cheap loans are not offered on platter. There are tricks to the trade of finding cheap loans.




Though borrowing money is not always an easy decision but there are times when loans are a necessity. Cheap loans are provided for every circumstance and reason - Personal loans, secured loans, unsecured loans, mortgage, car loans.......

When looking for cheap loans pay attention on various aspect of loans - interest rates, loan term, monthly payments are all instrumental. Interest rates are an obvious way to start your cheap loan search. Find out the lowest interest rates that are offered for your particular loan. Cheap loans are not the first loan you stumble upon while searching for loans or the first loan that is offered to you. There is always a scope for finding a cheaper loan than the one you found in loans market.




You will have to research for finding cheap loans. This may not be your favorite job but will be certainly active in locating cheap loans. For cheap loans you will have to go to various lenders and ask for quotes. Quotes give an idea of the loan cost to the borrower. After taking quotes compare the loan quotes to settle on cheap loans. Online the chances of finding cheap loans are doubled.

The terms and conditions for cheap loans are quite flexible. This has lead to those with imperfect credit also qualifying for cheap loans. In fact a separate category of bad credit loan ensures that cheap loans are a viable possibility for every borrower.




Getting cheap loans also depend on collateral and equity. Secured loan will always be a cheaper option than unsecured loans. Equity will sanction the amount you can borrow. If you have ample equity than you can qualify for larger amounts at cheap interest rates.

Your employment record will also affect your chances of finding cheap loans. A borrower can qualify for cheap loans if he or she has a stable income with a good employment record. You can find cheap loans for bad credit history but a good credit score is integral in finding cheap loans. Every lender will be looking at credit score before extending cheap loans. A good credit score will make you a primary contender for cheap loans.

If you want to borrow large amounts then mortgage is the best and cheapest loans option. Mortgage will be available at the lowest interest rates and terms at all the leading finance companies. It is a cheap way of borrowing money and considerable types of mortgages exist keeping in mind the requirements of borrowers.




If you are having more than two unpaid debts then debt consolidation is a cheap loans option. Debt consolidation loans are cheap way of uniting unpaid debt at low interest rates and low monthly payments. It is a cheap way of becoming debt free.

Student loan is an extremely cheap way of paying for college education. All students are eligible to apply for student loans and it is in fact the cheapest loan in the market. The interest rate for student loan is fixed. But you obviously have to go to a university for it and there is a limit to how much you can borrow.




Another way of procuring cheap loan is shortening the loan term. Shorter the loan term is the lesser will be what you pay as interest rate and it will be prove cheaper to your pocket. A shorter loan term will be less expensive and it is always such a pleasure to pay the loan in shorter time span. There is no single cheap loan for everyone. In fact cheap loans are in accordance to your financial condition. If you are looking for cheap loans then you can get extensive information on the net. Read it all, explore your options and then settle on cheap loans. Cheap loan is all about finding a loan and then finding another one to beat that loan.

James Taylor holds a Master's degree in Commerce from JNU he is working as financial consultant for chance for loans.To find a personal loan,bad credit loans that best suits your needs visit http://www.chanceforloans.co.uk




About the Author
James Taylor holds a Master's degree in Commerce from JNU he is working as financial consultant for chance for loans.To find a personal loan,bad credit loans that best suits your needs visit http://www.chanceforloans.co.uk

U.K. Loans

The cost of borrowing money in the UK is at its lowest level for some years. Interest rates as set by the Bank of England have stabilised at a low lending rate, enabling consumers to take out loans and credit agreements that are altogether very affordable. In fact, despite personal debt reaching record levels, there is a growing feeling right across the country that people are becoming more comfortable with the level of debt they are carrying.

With loans being made increasingly more accessible via the Internet and specialist loan companies more willing to consider applications from people with a bad credit history, now is the time to borrow money for those house improvements or that new car. But, given the variety of loans available, how do you go about choosing the right type of loan for your needs?


Loan options

What type of loan you choose rather depends on what you want to do with the money. There are loans configured by lenders for a wide range of purposes these days. So whether you want to buy a new kitchen appliance, finance the purchase of a motorcycle or buy a holiday home you can be sure that they'll be a loan designed specifically to fund it.

Regardless of the type of loan you are offered you'll find that all loans are broadly separated into two categories - unsecured loans and secured loans. Unsecured loans provide consumers with the option to borrow money up to a certain limit - typically £25,000 - without formally committing any type of collateral to be used against the loan. A secured loan on the other hand requires collateral to be secured against the sum borrowed, and can be used to borrow anything upwards of £25,000.

Why is collateral required for secured loans?

The definition of a secured loan is that the amount lent is done so on the promise that should the borrower default on payments the lender gains legal control over the collateral on which the loan is secured in order to recover the funds lost. If you wanted to borrow £100,000 for instance then the loans company would require something belonging to the owner that has a minimum resale value of £100,000 to be used as collateral. For most people this would be their home or the equity in their home if the loan is a second mortgage or if the loans are additional to a first mortgage.

Therefore, the only real limit to how much you can borrow on a secured loan is the amount of collateral you can put forward to the lender. In the event that you default on repayments on a secured loan the lender will assume legal title to your collateral and put it up for sale. Lenders of course will only want to reclaim the money owed to them, regardless of the true market value of the collateral. It is for this reason that high value items such as homes and motor vehicles can be found at discounted prices in liquidation auctions.




About the Author
Matthew Bourne has been working in the loans, mortgage and life insurance industry for over 10yrs and is currently working for http://www.loansgalaxy.com/secured-loans.com

Nsecured Loan To Secured Loan - How A Loan Company Can Convert Your Debt And Claim On Your Home

Warnings have been issued recently by debt counselling charities, regarding an increasing trend by some of the high street lenders to issue "charging orders" on borrowers' homes in order to recover bad debts. Major names in loan provision such as Abbey, Alliance and Leicester, Bank of Scotland, Halifax, Lloyds TSB, Nationwide, and Northern Rock have all admitted to using these measures to turn an unsecured loan into one that is secured against the borrower's house.

When a loan is taken out, it can be either secured against the borrower's property and should repayment defaults occur then the lender can still recover their money through the sale of the property, or it can be unsecured so that no such guarantee is offered by the borrower. Due to the obvious financial risk advantages to the lender and the much lower default rates which occur with secured loans when compared with unsecured loans, increased borrowing limits and lower interest rates are usually available for those who choose to opt for a secured loan.

Charging orders are a legal means of converting a loan that has been taken out without the provision of securing that debt against your house into one where the debt is secured against your property. Having a charging order put on a house means that when the property is sold and the mortgage is cleared, any money that is then left over will automatically go to pay the remaining outstanding debt. According to Fool.co.uk this means that you "cannot sell your house until you've paid off your mortgage, any second mortgage and other secured loans, plus the amount due under the charging order."

It should be noted that before a court will consider an application granting a charging order, the lender must have issued a county court judgment against the debtor and the borrower must have failed to make the required payments on that judgment as agreed by the court. Also a charging order does not of itself ensure that the lender gets repayment of the outstanding debt but it does prevent the debtor from selling their property without paying what they owe. The debtor is not under any obligation to sell their property once the charging order is put in place; however, there are some extreme circumstances where it is possible for a lender to apply to a court in order to force a sale. It is very rare for the court to allow a creditor who has a Charging Order Absolute to sell your home. It is up to the court to decide whether to make an Order for Sale.

Currently the number of charging orders being issued is about 35,000 per year; however this figure is gradually rising. According to the BBC, "Advisers say the practice is becoming so common that the way loans and credit cards are being marketed should change to include mortgage-style warnings that your home may be at risk if you miss repayments."

Whilst most people would agree that lenders should be able to recover the money lent, the whole point of an unsecured loan is that it will not put the borrower's home at risk if future financial difficulties are encountered and they cannot meet the repayment schedule. Peter Tutton of the Citizens Advice highlighted that the banks are also profiting from this practice as they are still charging the higher interest rate of the unsecured debt, "lenders are kind of getting it both ways, they are getting the risk premium off the borrower, but they are getting the security of the charge and that seems unfair."




Malcolm Hurlston of the Consumer Credit Counselling Service told the BBC, that if the practice of using these orders to force unsecured loans into secured loans increases at the current rate then, "it's something that ought to attract the attention of the Department of Trade and Industry or the Financial Services Authority." The Financial Services Authority in turn stated that they had no authority to intervene and that it was a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry.

With the current lack of regulation covering the situation, the best thing to do is prevent yourself getting into a state of affairs where you could become subject to a charge order.

* Compare as many loans as possible using sites such as Moneynet ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk/loans/index.shtml )

* Check your own financial situation - can you afford the repayments now and do you expect to be able to meet all future payments? Using loan calculators can help decide whether you can afford to take out a loan.

* Read through all documentation and any agreements carefully.

* If you do obtain a loan, and later have financial difficulties and miss repayments, immediately speak to your lender to discuss the problem.

* If your financial situation becomes serious, contact Citizens Advice or the Consumer Credit Counselling Service for free expert advice on how to proceed.

Useful resources:

Moneynet loan comparisons ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk/loans/index.shtml )

Disclaimer:

All information contained in this article, is for general information purposes only and should not be construed as advice under the Financial Services Act 1986.

You are strongly advised to take appropriate professional and legal advice before entering into any binding contracts.




About the Author
Richard lives in Edinburgh, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla ( http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/ ), and listens to music no one else likes.

Get The Finance You Need With UK Secured Homeowner Loan

Not every-one of us is born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Most of us live life as it comes. Our hard earned money provides us with the basic necessities and indulgences. Generally, we manage things with our finances but sometimes an emergency or once-in-a-lifetime opportunity sticks out its head like a sore thumb, demanding huge funding and putting our resources under strain. UK secured homeowner loan provides the much-needed finances with minimum possible overhead in such conditions.

UK secured homeowner loan uses the home of the borrower in UK as the collateral. The home of the borrower can be mortgaged, free or having home equity in it. The value of the collateral or the home equity with you will go a long way in deciding the amount you will get from lenders when you take a secured homeowner loan in UK. Generally, secured homeowner loans are associated with large amounts. Borrowers can expect anything between £5000 and £75000. Even this large amount is not considered as the upper limit by some lenders. If they find that the value of your collateral is sufficiently high, they will consider lending you any sum up to £500000. The comfort that lenders feel while giving any secured UK homeowner loan is verily visible in the interest rates and the repayment schedule. The interest rates are lowest among various types of loans. The installments are scheduled on monthly basis. And the repayment term can vary from three to twenty- five years. If the house is already mortgaged, any new homeowner loan will be called as second charge, if the house is free of any mortgage and has 100% home equity, it will be called the first charge.

A term that should ring bells for any Secured homeowner loan borrower in UK is the APR. Short for Annual Percentage Rate it defines the interest rate that a lender will charge from you on any homeowner loan. It is obligatory for the lender to communicate the effective APR he is charging from the borrower on his loan. Generally, lenders quote approximate APR rates, which are used to serve only as a guide. Different loans have different APR's and the borrower is advised to consult the lender so as to get an exact idea about the APR of his homeowner loan. Comparison of APR's from different lenders will help the borrower decide on a loan, which is the most competitive in the market.




Applying for a secured homeowner loan doesn't take much effort. Most of the lending agencies give the option of applying online, through their branch network, via the telephone or a direct application at their office. Whatever be the method of your application it is advised that you provide all the information correctly.

The lenders will use credit reference agencies to assess your creditworthiness. Your credit history, repayment capacity and income will also be given due consideration besides the collateral before reaching any decision. A credit agreement has to be signed, which will contain all the details about the homeowner loan. Since it is a legal document, the terms of which are binding on both parties, a borrower should take the services of a legal expert to understand the intricacies and safeguard his interest. The Consumer Credit Act 1974 protects the interests of secured homeowner loan borrowers. It provides a cover up to loans of value £ 25,000. Loans of greater amount are not regulated. Lenders are obliged to provide a consideration period of 7 days for loans valued under £25000. Various types of insurance schemes are available from different lenders, which accompany the secured homeowner loan.

The repayment periods for any secured loans are stretched over many years and the borrower may face financial ups and downs in this period. It is very good, if he is able to repay the installments on time but if during troubled times he faces any repayment problems then instead of messing things up, he should contact the lender directly and discuss the problem. Together this can save the situation, both for the borrowers and the lenders.

Andrew baker has done his masters in finance from CPIT. He is engaged in providing free, professional, and independent advice to the residents of the UK.He works for the Secured loan web site uk finance world for any type of uk secured and unsecured loan please visit http://www.ukfinanceworld.co.uk


About the Author
Andrew baker has done his masters in finance from CPIT. He is engaged in providing free, professional, and independent advice to the residents of the UK.He works for the Secured loan web site uk finance world for any type of uk secured and unsecured loan please visit http://www.ukfinanceworld.co.u