Showing posts with label Finance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Finance. Show all posts

Friday, January 17, 2014

What Are the Security Threats Facing Online Banking?

As any other internet security vulnerability, online banking security threats have become profound as the internet thieves seek for smarter ways to steal from unsuspecting users. You email account may be used as a target to steal your information. The email browser may also be targeted. Before you click any link on your email, you should know its source.

However "sweet" and "darling" internet use may be, its exposure to scammers, phishers and hackers is a daunting moment for internet enthusiasts. The digital edge is picking up with a new generation of high tech thieves. They are smart, intellectual and will challenge your ability to protect yourself from internet insecurity.


Online banking has unearthed one of the most convenient, cost effective and reliable mode of conducting business and transactions today. Internet insecurity poses the greatest challenge to online banking. Clients need to ensure that they observe the Internet security tips. When conducting business online, clients must avoid sending account information to unsafe and suspecting clients or sources.


Account passwords, pin numbers and other personal details such as name and addresses, are very sensitive features and being on the hands of the fraudsters can cause harm to the person’s financial security in internet use. The fraudsters use these details to advance in cashing out amount from your accounts. It is important to always log out from your email browser page after finishing a session.


Identity theft is the most common known threat of the online banking insecurity. Internet hackers trap the unsuspecting users. Hackers are able to steal important personal confidential details such as full names, account numbers, email passwords, bank account passwords, and identification numbers (PIN) and use these details to maneuver around and extort cash from the person’s bank accounts.


Normally, internet criminals are targeting online banking because of its immense trading and transactions base. The world is digitized and the billions population is getting Online. The internet thieves are repositioning themselves in order to harness the potentials of this richly endowed market.


Surely, the fight against Internet crime must be tightened through enlightenment. The Internet community must be harmonized and work as a team. Applause is given to those organizations, companies, firms, and individuals who in any way contribute to enlightening and informing the Internet audience readers on online insecurity.


Phishing is a common and publicized form of Internet theft. It mainly takes the form of emails that are purported to be sent from an organization and for that matter a bank, requesting the person’s confidential details and Internet information. It may as well contain a link to a website that identically resembles the legitimate bank website.


Here the customers are requested to enter their details. Usually this program captures the details and is used to defraud of the victims' cash from the bank accounts. They may also initiate illegal transactions in an account.


For the online banking customers, it is a matter of conscience and should gather information on Online banking fraud. One should be updated with the current trends and information on online banking fraud threats. It is imperative to note that Internet criminals are getting smarter day by day, often devising new and advanced techniques to beat and trap their targets.


If one has any information about Internet theft or may have been a victim of the same, it is critical to share out this experience with the other Internet users. You may never know, as you could save millions of online banking clients from the fraudulent actions of the Internet criminals. The online banking security threats need a proactive approach and a lot of information sharing to each other in curbing the manace.










What Are Unsecured Car Loans and When Do You Need Them

Whereas persons are looking forward to apply for car loans, the auto loan companies are repositioning themselves in line with the needs and expectations of the consumer. The financial institutions are devising appropriate ways to enable their clients have an array of alternatives to which kind of auto loan they would prefer. Unsecured car loans are those that do not require collateral to be placed as security.

This implies that the borrower does not give the auto loan company an asset or an item to stand for the loan as security in the event of failure to repay. Unsecured auto loans are preferred by those persons with stable and sufficient income because they are payable within relatively short time.


Due to the short period of payback, they attract a comparatively high interest rate. Usually, they are paid within months or a few years mainly less than two years. The decision to acquire unsecured loan is determined by both the individual and the institution.


For instance, a borrower may have sufficient amount of income, but the car loan company decisions not to offer unsecured loan. This is because the institution may have considered other factors such as the economic situations that might affect the borrower’s financial stability for example economic recession.


The car loan company might also take into account the credit worthiness of the customer by establishing the credit score. An auto loan company will grant a loan after ascertaining that the clients’ score is good. Typically, delinquencies are used to determine a personal discipline in handling credits.


Delinquency is the tendency to pay for advances or loan payment late after the stated date of remittance. Although there are many factors that may lead to this behavior, it is usually considered a personal financial mismanagement. On the other hand, if the score is bad, the financial company may not offer the unsecured loan.


A good credit score is characterized by ability to pay advances in time, increased personal bank savings, payment of important bills such as rent in time as well as sufficient personal income. Consequently, the individual may decide which car loan to apply. Depending on one’s financial resources, the borrower can opt for the unsecured auto loans because they can repay without stress.


In case the personal budget is manageable and a large amount is left as disposable income, the client can decide to have unsecured auto loan. In addition, if the income is stable and sufficient but there is a need to borrow soon, the clients may choose to obtain unsecured loan so that they can clear the repayment in advance to be able to apply for the other loan.


Indulging in multiple borrowing may hamper the ability of the client to repay comfortably. Also if the client has enough income, an unsecured loan can be applied. Furthermore, where the client feels that, the security placed as collateral may be confiscated, one may decide to have the unsecured loan.


It should be noted that although the secured auto loans attract a lower rate of interest, the period of payment is long and the total payable amount is usually high. This total payable amount entails the principal amount plus the interest chargeable sum. Therefore, even though the unsecured loans have higher interest rates, the total payable loan amount is less that the secured loans.


In essence, unsecured loans are less expensive than secured loans but more cumbersome to pay. In a nutshell, the advances paid per month for the unsecured auto loans are quite high and many clients do not afford to pay hence opt for the secured auto loans.


What Are the Benefits of Secured Car Loans?

The need to own a car by the US residents is practically essential in order to have an efficient and convenient travel from one place to another. Whereas the residents are working hard to ensure that they buy their dream cars, it has sometimes become daunting to successfully be able to buy the cars at the right time from personal savings. Hard economic times and poor budgetary controls have exacerbated the situation.

These factors have resulted to appalling personal saving behavior. In fact, many people are struggling to be in charge of their finances. However, financial institutions have provided a respite to the residents. Today, these financial institutions are more than willing to offer car loan financing and have put in place desirable measures to ensure that every citizen owns a car of choice. Car loans can be categorized as secured or unsecured.


Secured car loans car be defined as those that required collateral to be placed by the borrower. Collateral is an asset or item that is used as a security for the loan in case of an uncertainty repayment. Secured loans are offered based on the historical financial records of the borrower and other external factors, which may be beyond the control of the client.


These external factors include economic stability, political environment, and market trends. Where a client has unappealing previous financial record, this makes the car loan companies to take precautions against bad debts they may incur from failure to repay the loan. Consequently, due to their characteristics, secured loans are preferred because they usually attract low interest rates and are paid for in a relatively longer periods.


Mainly, the timeframe to repay secured loans may range from one year to six or more. When a client puts in place other considerations such as personal financial stability and income, they opt to borrow secured loans to be able to repay with ease. With a sound personal cash management, the clients can comfortably be able to pay the loan amount.


However, this kind of a loan has a disadvantage in that, incase the client fails to repay the loan, the collateral placed as security is confiscated by the car loan company. With secured auto loans, the possibility to loose the asset or item placed as security by the borrower is as high as the failure to repay the loan may occur.


It thus requires one to be self-disciplined in financial matters. It also assumes that other external factors beyond the person's control will not come by the way and cause financial breakdown. For instance, the retrogressive economic growths experienced all over the world between 2007 and 2010 displayed an ideal example where borrowers were driven to financial dark pits due to the prevailing unfavorable economic situations.


Many people lost their jobs, businesses shut down, and personal debts increased. The ability to repay secured loans was hampered. Collaterals were repossessed by the financial institutions. This left many auto loan clients bamboozled by the wary events.


Secured loans also limit the ability to borrow another loan in the near future, as one may need. This is because it takes a long time to repay the loan. Clients ‘shy off’ from multiple borrowing due to the repercussions attached to it.


Moreover, it becomes difficulty should a need arise that requires borrowing. When making that vital decision on which loan to undertake, one should put into considerations factors such as how soon one might need to borrow again, how stable the economy at large is, and how disciplined one is in personal financial management. Secured loans can help you acquire credit facilities at a lower interest rates compared to unsecured loans.


What are the Benefits of Online Banking

As technology advances so are the financial institutions operations. Today people can do their banking right from the office or in their homes. Applause to the technology developers who have made it possible to carry out online banking! It is today convenient to log on to the internet and initiate a transaction from the comfort of your home in any hour of the day. Isn't it amazing? Online banking has herald a technological cutting edge in the 21st Century.

The digital edge is not a myth as the legwarmers would perceive during those old days, but it has become a reality. There are no bank queues. Often clients are not kept in the contention of the laws that Graham forgot to mention, that the "other queue moves fast when you jump into another"


The days are gone when clients used to make long queues in banks lining for services with impatience. This has been molded into a click of a mouse and the bank service is self initiated.  There are certainly no bank holidays as a client can transact a business, make or receive payments on the peak hour of the weekend.


Online banking offers more security than the conventional banking in the sense that no paper works that may scatter around and expose ones bank details. Similarly, other people cannot overhear conversations and get their details.  With advancement in technology, it is easy to view statements.


With a click of a mouse, the customer can access details of the bank accounts, which include the account balances, the transactions initiated, as well as the dates of transactions. The customers can easily move cash between accounts. Making payments to clients such as suppliers is well tailored and fast to carry out.  Cheque books and statements can be ordered easily.


The cost of effecting a transaction is one feature that customers look out for.  The charges that are imposed for transactions in online banking are lower than those of the traditional banking. Convectional banking is often rendered expensive due to the logistics of operation.


It also requires that one travel to the bank to make their transactions. It's inefficient, time consuming and cumbersome.  With the development of mobile banking, it is even more convenient. The incorporation of banking, internet and mobile phones has further customized online banking to the interests of the clients.


Although the online banking is faced with the challenge of insecurity due to the crop up of a new trade in fraudulent activities, the benefits are more than the challenges of insecurity and clients opt to take precautions.  No in any time of history, has banking been made easy, friendly, convenient, and well tailored to the customer than in the online banking.


As people become occupied in other activities, time becomes a scarce resource and in order to beat this challenge, digital age has provided a solution for this through online banking. In essence, there are many benefits of online banking ranging from safety, convenience, and cost to flexibility.


Friday, January 03, 2014

How to Borrow a Suitable Car Loan and Safeguard Your Collateral

Collateral can be defined as the security assets that are placed against a loan by the borrower. Not all loans require collateral. Auto loan attracts collateral depending on the risk that is associated with the borrower in paying the loan. A client who has a bad credit score will attract higher interest rate on the loan granted. 

Similarly, a bad credit score implies that there is a need for the borrower to provide security against the loan. Consequently a loan recipient who has a high credit score and less debts proves the ability to pay for loan thus may not be required to place collateral against the loan borrowed.


In order to safeguard your assets against possible repossession by a financial company, you should consider various factors which include borrowing depending on your pay back ability. A client with a sustainable stream of income and sizable monthly returns can go for short period high interest auto loans.


These are described as the unsecured auto loans. These are clients with high and stable incomes. The recession has virtually affected most clients despite their financial status and thus acquiring an unsecured loan means that you do not pose a risk on your assets.


Consequently depending on your income levels and the sustainability, you may opt to go for the secured loans due to the low interest rate associated with.  However, you need to maintain a strict repayment program so that you do not result to delinquencies and possibly be unable to pay the loan leading to loose of your collateral.


If you have a low income but a sustainable, one you should consider the secured loan. In this case, your limited income can be able to pay the loan for a relatively long period on low interest rate. The recession has seen constraint in incomes and reduced business returns and most of the loans are attracting security. There is uncertainty in paying of the loans.


Moreover, those with well thriving incomes can still go for the unsecured auto loans. These attract high interest rates but the assets placed against the loan are not in a risk compared to the unsecured ones.  Financial institutions are calling for open discussion in regard to auto loaning so that the borrower is aware of the implications resulting to the failure to meet the auto lenders loan terms and conditions


All the mentioned aspects are considered by borrowers in order to acquire a car loan that will place the clients in the best possible position to repay. Through these factors a client can measure the level of uncertainty associated with borrowing that may subject the collateral to risk of repossession by an auto finance company. The borrower can then acquire a car loan or forfeit it altogether.


Saturday, December 21, 2013

Choosing the Right Bank for Your Company

Banks form part of the business associates platform and their main function is to offer financial support and services to business organizations. During the process of business operations, banks interact with the entrepreneurial entities in various ways some of which are granting loans for business growth, necessitating transactions through money transfers and offering financial advice to the clients. Indeed, a constant interrelation needs to be nurtured in the most complaisant manner possible.

With the many financial institutions, it must be admitted that choosing the right bank is not an easy task. It requires a critical examination of the goals and objectives of the company in regard to financial stability, and on the other hand, the ability of the financial institution to offer the much-needed support. For a company to choose a suitable bank, it should consider the viability of the financier, the kind of supportive services that the bank offers to the business clientele including advisory on future borrowing, and the flexibility in terms of agreements.


The company should critically establish how the bank has been performing, how the other companies commend on its services and if there are any disputes with other business organizations and how they were resolved. It should be noted that most banks will not disclose any information that they feel may taint their image. Perhaps details on disputes with clients may only be obtained from other sources including the business journals, courts of law and the media highlights and archives.


There are numerous dimensions on which to categorize a bank as suitable to indulge in business with. First, the financial institution should have a record track in offering good services. The period in which it has been in business should clearly signal its performance mileage. Entering into contract with a bank that has no known performance background can be quite technical.

It is not certain whether the institution will be able to offer the necessary support when things go haywire. For example, during a recession, an unstable bank may be faced with operations setbacks that may hinder a company from seeking any financial help to back up its monetary resource. This is the time financial institutions should show commitment and demonstrate their ability to support businesses.


Secondly, other aspects need to be evaluated, for example, the terms of agreements when applying for loans. The financiers may be so stringent that being unable to repay loans can prompt a further unprecedented course of action such as unjustifiably taking up collateral that have been placed as security for loans. Although this may be in the interest of the lenders to protect and safeguard their business, but on the other hand, there should be a consensus on how to best resolve such a an eventuality.


The interests of the two parties (bank and the company) should be taken into considerations on a win-win situation. The financial institutions should have good advisory frameworks that assist businesses to financially manage their monetary resources. It should advise the businesses on the right time to borrow and how to appropriately obtain manageable loans.


Financial companies that are out to unscrupulously exploit the companies without considering their financial uncertainties can lead businesses to plunge in financial pit-holes. The terms of agreements are one of the most important of the conditions in borrowing. The financiers should be able to offer in-depth pre-loan information to the company. There are times when banks, out of fear of being branded as unreliable, tend to hold vital information regarding lending agreements.


For example, banks may hide particular information to its clients such as the so-called 'hidden charges’. This implies that the companies only come to know of such terms when they have already entered into a loan contract with a bank. This is quite pathetic and creates misunderstanding and lack of confidence with the institution. This can adversely affect the company's financial goals and objectives. 


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Prepaid Credit Cards...a Killer to those Wishing To Repair Damaged Credit Score

When prepaid credit cards first hit the market, they were they were pitched as good options for those who could not qualify for credit cards. However, these prepaid credit cards are actually debit cards because they do not carry credit limit. You can only use what is loaded on the debit card and no more and therefore it does not provide credit facilities like you would find with credit cards. If you have less-than-stellar credit, it means that the first priority is building the score. This cannot be achieved with prepaid debit cards because they do not offer credit and no payments are reported to credit reporting agencies. 

If your credit is bad, you should work on bringing it to better levels so that you have access to regular credit cards, low interest personal loans and other credit facilities. A secured credit card can help you raise your score and the good thing with this card is that it is accessible to anyone with good or bad credit. What you need to do is look for some money to put as deposit against the card. That deposit acts as the collateral or security against the credit on that card.


Secured credit cards attract low interest rates and can help you push up your score to a better higher point. The deposit you place against the secured card is not used and only remains on the account until you close your account. The reason why prepaid cards are killer to those focussing on bringing up their credit score is because they cost the card holder a lot of money in terms of fees. If you check the monthly fees charged by prepaid cards, they are far way above the fees for bad credit secured credit cards even those, which attract annual fees.


For example, if you acquire American express prepaid card, and you reload the card and use it in the ATM two times each month, you are likely to pay a cost of about $11.90 per month. This comes from the card loading fee of $9.90 and the ATM fees of $2. An ideal secured card can cost you about $4 to $6.5 per month. This means that at the end of the year, you can save a lot of money with secured credit cards.


A prepaid debit card only adds more burden to your spending because of the fees. Although consumers say that they do not worry about the fees, this cannot be overlooked because it contributes to the state of indebtedness. The prepaid card does not allow you to enjoy credit facilities. It cannot help you rebuild your bad score and it will cost you more in monthly fees. 


Perhaps a prepaid card is not designed for people who are truly working hard to have their score push upwards. Prepaid debit cards are known to help those with lose money-spending morals and who cannot hold money in their accounts. You can use these cards to put a gauge on your spending patterns and habits. You only load what you want to spend in specific time and after spending what is on the card, no credit. You must reload your prepaid debit card again.  




Prepaid Debit Cards... Some 4 Viable Alternatives to Prepaid Debit Cards

Prepaid debit cards can enable you manage your spending patterns so that you do not overspend your money. These cards also enable you alleviate some of the troubles that come with credit cards such as late or missed payments as well as over-the-limit penalties.  However, prepaid cards come with fees such as ATM withdrawal fee, annual fees, monthly fees, transfer fees, loading fees and other types of charges. It has been argued that prepaid cards are costly than some checking accounts. They are also costly than secured credit cards but despite these aspects, people are preferring use of prepaid cards.

Prepaid credit cards do not help in rebuilding credit score because they do not offer loans or credit limits. Therefore, card issuers or banks do not report the card usage in credit reporting companies like Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.  Below are 3 alternatives to prepaid debit cards;


1.    Secured credit cards

Although there are many alternative to prepaid debit cards, the right choice is determined by the reason why you are looking for a prepaid debit card in the first place. If you are seeking for a card to use when you are in bad credit, then a secured credit may be the right choice.  Prepaid debit card cannot help you repair your damaged score and therefore if you have a less-than-stellar credit score, then you would better seek for secured credit card.

It only requires you to seek for a few hundreds of dollars to put as deposit against the secured card. A secured card cannot cost you more than a prepaid debit card if you make balance payment in time. The secured credit card will help you build your score and eventually qualify for a regular credit card. 


If you are seeking for an alternative for a prepaid debit card, you may consider secured credit cards from Capital One and Citibank. These are primed institutions that offer secured cards with low fees and also an option to be able to trade up or increase the credit limit after 12-18 months if you demonstrate that you can really use the card wisely and competently without late payments and over-the-limit use. 


2.    Unsecured credit cards

Besides the secured credit cards, there are also unsecured cards and these are designed for those people who cannot afford to pay the little deposit to secure a secured credit card.  However, an unsecured credit card opens doors for fees levied by banks and card issuers and therefore, they may not be a perfect alternative to prepaid debit cards. Some banks are helping people with stinky or bad credit by offering them credit cards with low limits so that they develop their scores. 

3.    Rewards checking accounts

If you want to control and manage your spending, instead of going for a prepaid debit card, you can opt for rewards checking account. With this checking account, you cannot overdraw and this means that you do not incur the over-the-limit fees charged on credit cards. With this account, you can transfer money between your checking account and saving account. A rewards checking account can also earn you interest. It is important to check a reward checking account that offers low minimum balance.  Instead of losing money through prepaid debit cards fees, you can earn as much as 4% with high-yield checking accounts. 

4.    Cashback debit cards

Moreover, you may choose a cashback debit card. Rather than going for prepaid debit card, you may choose a cashback debit card which works comparatively the same as prepaid debit card but you can get refunds or cashbacks on your purchases. This means that you save about 1 to2 percent on your purchases. This can help meet some of the fees that come with these debit cards.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Secured Credit Cards...A Cost-Effective Way to Rebuild Your Credit History

If you are finding it difficult to obtain the traditional credit cards, then you may get a bad credit secured credit card. This card works by paying a certain amount in order to establish a credit line or a limit in which you can borrow, and the deposit is paid prior to obtaining the card. These secured cards offer a more cost effective way in building your credit history. One thing you need to do when your credit dips passed the levels of prime and subprime financing, you need to bring it up.

You may have different option to do this, but certainly using low credit secured credit cards can be a viable option. When you have bad credit, you are faced with many challenges. First, whenever you apply for a loan, the lender runs a credit check. This definitely affects your credit score. This is because, there is some doubt with the lender and this is why a credit check is done to determine how you have been paying your bills, and if there are any missed payments, and loan delinquencies you have had in the past.

By itself, a credit check will hurt your creditworthiness by lowering your score. Secondly, it becomes worse if you apply for numerous loans and they are not approved despite the lenders running a credit check. In order to avoid numerous credit-checking that lowers your score, you can use the secured credit cards. You need to have about $300 to deposit in a bank so that you secure the card.

It is worthwhile getting low credit secured credit card rather than unsecured cards. The hefty fees charged on unsecured card are not worthy the deposit you put up when obtaining a secured card. You would better look for that money in order to make a deposit because this will save you from those fees. For example, as at March 2013 if you obtained a secured Centennial Secured credit card, you would not pay the program fee of $95 that is charged on the Centennial unsecured credit card.

In addition, with the Centennial Secured credit card, you would not pay a monthly servicing fee of $7 and account setup fee of $29. Similarly, with this secured card, you would pay less on the annual fee placed at $69 when compared to the annual fee of the unsecured Centennial card of $84. In essence, it is important to consider a secured credit card if you are in bad credit because it not only protects you from paying the enormous charges but also helps you rebuild your credit score.

Depending on the card issuer, if you obtained a secured credit card and demonstrate a responsible use of the card, after sometime, say one year, the issuer may consider converting the card to an unsecured credit card that does not carry the different fees that are witnessed in a traditional unsecured credit card. As a caution, if you want to obtain a secured credit card, make sure that the issuer reports to at least one of the credit reporting agencies like TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. 


Unsecured Credit Cards...An Option for the Subprime and Prime Credit Score Cardholders

When you talk about unsecured credit cards, it simply means that there is not security that is made to obtain the card. You do not make a deposit in order to get the card and this describes the nature of the terms you expect to get. Since, you are considered a risky customer; you are put through a series of fees that you pay because of your bad credit.
If your score ranges from 620 - 659, you are considered for subprime financing and if it ranges between 660 and 720, you are eligible for prime financing option, including credit cards.

There are many limitations and charges that are linked to these low credit unsecured credit cards and this is why it is advisable that you only obtain them when there is no other alternative. In most cases, the credit limit is placed at around $250 but if you prove that you are indeed a disciplined card user who is able to pay balances in time, this limit may be increased subsequently after a satisfactory use.

Advantages of credit unsecured credit cards
The two main advantages of these cards is that they enable you improve your credit score and secondly, they do not require a deposit. Since it is most probable that you are financially in bad shape, by not making a deposit as security against the issuance of the card makes things better. But remember there is a catch in this card. The fees can ruin your financial ability and if not careful, you may dive deeper into financial pitfalls. So when are unsecured credit cards useful?

Because you are in a subprime credit worthiness category, you need to accept your situation and focus on ways to rebuild your tainted credit score. Whereas it will not take overnight to repair your score, by observing certain spending patterns and card-use practises, you can quickly get yourself out of the trap.

The only good thing with unsecured cards for the consumer with bad credit is that the use is reported to leading credit reporting bureaus such as Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.  If you use the card carefully without any delinquencies or late payments of balances, and other bills, you can build your credit history. However, you need to be very vigilant in these aspects otherwise you may get yourself in trouble.

What you must watch out for in unsecured credit cards
For one, these cards are issued to consumers regarded as high risk. If you have bad or limited (subprime and prime) credit score, you may need to get these cards. Similarly, if you have previously filed a bankruptcy case, you also are also considered a risky consumer and you may need these cards.  Whereas the unsecured credit cards are designed for people considered high risk, you may also get a low credit score secured card, which has better terms than the unsecured.

The low credit unsecured credit cards carry high APRs, which could go as high as 60 percent. Besides the APRs, there are also other fees that come with these cards and include an annual fee, which may go as high as $85. For example, First PREMIER Bank unsecured card was attracting an annual fee of $84 as at March 2013 and Centennial Unsecured credit card was attracting the same annual as at this date.

What this means is that, although you do not pay for the security deposit, you end up paying more through annual fees. One thing you need to evaluate is how long you intent to use this card. If you are going to use it more than 5 years, then this could be very costly for you. It is better you consider other options.

In addition, low credit unsecured credit cards also attract account processing fee that can go as high as $39. There is also what is called program fee, which is a onetime fee that is charged on credit card users as a term or condition of credit extension. Moreover, there is also a monthly servicing fee that can amount to $10 dollars depending on the card issuer and when you calculate this amount, you find that you can pay up to $120 per annum.

Last but not least, these unsecured bad credit cards also attract credit increase fee of up to $25. Basically, these fees could really cause a big burden on your credit card use often leading to very minimal benefits. If you are taking this card, basically use it as a way to build your credit score.

When does it make Sense to Refinance your Loans with a Debt Consolidation Company?

Loans are a good way of meeting your financial needs but they come with a burden of paying the interest rates. When you take up a loan facility, you anticipate that you will be able to repay the amount within the stipulated timeframe. Whereas this is possible, at times, uncertainties happen which compel you to make late payments and start incurring hefty penalties for loan delinquencies. Although it is not your desire to pay more in loan principal and interest, this can occur if you have to face penalties for late payments.

The most notable are credit card loans which can carry penalties of up to 15% APR from one missed payment. One way people with loans attracting high interest rates can do is to refinance. Loan refinancing simply implies obtaining a new loan that has new but lower interest rates. You can get a new loan with better terms of payments something that helps you to repay the debt more comfortably.

There are many debt consolidation companies you will find out there, and they can help you out in consolidating your loan. If you have a credit card debt, a personal loan and other types of loans that you are servicing, they can cause daunting moments for you. From a debt consolidating company, it allows you to start paying off your debt through one loan that you take from the company.

What this means is that you do not owe your previous creditors and instead you owe the debt consolidating company. The company deals directly with the lenders and you now make a monthly payment to the debt consolidating company. If your previous loans are attracting very high interest rates, and you get a lower APR from the consolidation company deal, then this may be a good option.

One, you eliminate the challenges you face when dealing with your creditors and two, you lower the interest rate meaning that you have increased cash flow. However, you need to be very cautious when you engage with debt consolidation companies. When you sign the contract for the debt consolidation plan, you cannot back off. It is advisable that you get every clause of the refinancing contract before you sign it.

The interest rates and fees could increase the costs of these loans and particularly for people with poor credit. Because it is likely that many people with debt problems have poor credit score, it means that they are subjected to high APRs and fees and these charges take a big chunk of their total cash flow every month.

In addition, although a consolidation loan may have a low APR; this rate could actually be overshadowed by other risks making the new loan costly to pay.  When you deal with a debt consolidation company, you may end up with a repayment plan with a longer term. It means that you are paying low interest loan but for long period of time. This could amount to larger amounts in the long run meaning that you actually end up paying more than you anticipated.

With the longer payment term, you do not know what might happen somewhere down the line in course of the repayment plan. You may miss some payments, something that could attract very costly penalties, which increase the interest rates heftily. Another thing you need to check when you sign for a loan consolidation program is to leverage the use of credit on your credit cards as this could drive you to the same amount of debt.

In order to ensure that you get low cost debt consolidation plan, you may consider non profit debt consolidating companies. These companies will review your debt situation and offer a free debt counselling session. They also prepare income and expenditure analysis and based on how much you can afford to pay, they then negotiate with your creditors or debt collection agencies. Non profit debt consolidating companies are not free as the name may suggest but they offer low cost services compared to profit debt consolidating companies.


Thursday, November 21, 2013

Bad Credit Mortgage...How Low Credit Score Home Loans Can Help You

If you are in bad credit, the fact is that you are not sailing the boat along, because there are many people struggling with bad credit after the economic crisis, which presented as the housing bubble. Your credit score will affect the way in which you borrow, and if it is bad, you are certainly disadvantaged. However, there is still hope for many who want to own their dream homes. With use of low credit score home loans 2012, you can start living in your home.

Although the housing trends do not indicate an encouraging pattern in terms of house prices for the buyer, it is certainly not a bad time for the buyer to make a move. Foreclosures have gone down, and home pricing are slowly switching upwards as at march 2013. The problem is that buyers are holding on to see if prices can push down. This is a strategy that homebuyers use to get the smartest deals out of a home buying decision.

But the problem is; how long are you willing to hold and will the prices really change significantly? Perhaps this may be a good move for people with superprime credit score (750-800). However, for the subprime (500-649) and prime score (651-749) borrowers, it means that something is wrong with their credit score. They are in the process of rebuilding it and time may not be their side.

The earlier you start repairing your score, the earlier you will come out of the trap and the earlier you can begin enjoying low interest rate loans. However, all these aspect are determined by how intuitively you act and how fast you take the actions. With new homes sales at lows, it means that many buyers are sitting on the sidelines, either afraid to make a move or they want to hold on a little bit for the prices to slum down.

This is a blindfolded anticipation because the prices can switch either way. According to Realtor’s real estate market report, there is a growing optimism and confidence among sellers. Although the national housing inventory slummed by 15.22 percent since 2012, there was a month-over-month increase in February 2013 and the average list price stands at $190,000.

Your credit score will determine if you will get approved for a mortgage loan. And as Bankrate noted, if you have FICO credit score of less than 650, the chances are that you will get high interest rates in your mortgage. Low credit score home loans 2012 can help you in getting a mortgage that suits your financial abilities. You can contact mortgage lenders in your area or speak to a specialist in mortgage loans.

It is important to let the person you speak with know the status of your credit score. One thing you need to know is that if you are approved a mortgage loan at higher rates, it means that you will continue paying those rates even when your credit score has improved. However, the point is that you can still refinance your mortgage loan in future when your score has improved and obtain a new loan at lower interest rates.

If you decide to wait, perhaps it may take you long to improve your score and the market prices may increase. However, you may decide to take that path and improve your score first. A better way of improving your credit score is to pay down your revolving credit accord. If you have credit cards that have balances to their limits, you need to pay down those balances.

You should not miss any payment or experience a delinquency. If you consistently continue to pay your bills in time, you can increase your credit score. At the same time, as you improve the score, you may need to save for a down payment of your mortgage. Alternatively, if you want to get low credit score home loans 2012, you may need to seek the help of the Federal Housing Administration to get a mortgage especially for a first time home buyer.

FHA guaranteed loans attract lower interest rates and if you are in bad credit, you may benefit from these loans. However, you need to check your state sources, to determine if you qualify for the FHA mortgage loans. Very low credit scores can cut you off from these types of loans. Otherwise, you still have the option for the low credit mortgage loans with higher interest rates.


A Low Credit Score Mortgage Can Help You Start Repairing Your Credit Score

After the U.S. housing bubble that left many consumers in very difficult financial situations, things are still bright for the mortgage borrower. Because many people had their credit score dipped to very low levels, they are unable to get loans at lower interest rates. However, if you want a low credit score mortgage, there are different options available that can enable you still own a home.

During the housing bubble crisis, many lost their homes through foreclosures, others declared bankrupt, and the few who managed to survive the predicament have been toiling in huge debts and trapped in a loop of borrowing.  Owning a home is still a dream for many people in U.S. and having a bad credit can limit the options you have to get a mortgage loan. This is because lenders shy away from granting you loans.

The worst element about a bad credit is that it affects a myriad of life aspects such as insurance, getting credit cards, employment screening, as well as your ability to get credit facilities.  However, you should not give up if you have bad credit because there are low credit score mortgage lenders, who may still be willing to lend you, but at a higher price.

One thing you can do is get the mortgage at the prevailing interest rates, starting repaying, and somewhere down the line in your repayment; you can refinance your mortgage at lower APRs. Shying away from mortgage loans does not provide a solution to repairing your credit.  You need to borrow in order to be able to start repairing the damaged credit score. However, this time, you need to be very careful.

Although the housing bubble was caused by external factors, which might have been out of control by consumers, there was a problem because many consumers had actually overborrowed either by taking several loans or by taking extra ordinary principal amount that they could hardly manage to pay.

If you take control of your borrowing behaviour and only have limited loans at any given time, you can manage to service your mortgage loan smoothly. Considering that as at March 2013, it was revealed that buying a home in US was by average 44 percent cheaper than renting, this meant that even if prices were high, it was still a viable decision to buy a home.

One thing with consumers ailing with bad credit is that the sooner you start borrowing, the earlier you can come of debt. This is because, if you are able to get a low credit score mortgage facility, and repay without experiencing delinquencies, you can start improving your score. This makes it even better for you to refinance at very competitive rates in furture since you will have improved the score.

In addition, there are now many options for refinancing your mortgage that can enable you have better APRs for your loan. One year ago, buying a home was 46 percent cheaper than when you rented and today, there is a slight drop in that percentage at 44 percent. This means that despite the high prices on houses, the market is still favourable for home buyers who want to own their dream homes.

Although you may want to hold on in the anticipation that prices will drop, you may not know when this will happen because the market are influenced by other factors, which are difficult to predict. The best way is to stay a toll in repaying your mortgage without any delinquencies. If you are able to secure a home mortgage loan, this can provide you with time to get your financial strengths back in order, and also refinance the mortgage at lower APRs in the near future.

The first place you can check for low APR mortgage is the FHA and this is ideal for the first time buyers. The Federal Housing Administration –FHA, helps consumers who want to own homes by insuring the loans so that the lenders can offer better deals like low downpayments, low closing costs, and easy credit qualifying especially for people with bad credit.

The FHA may actually be what you need because it can enable you obtain a low credit score mortgage that attracts APRs as low as 3.5 of the buying price. In addition, the closing costs and fees are included in the loan and these deals may be available for 1-4 unit properties. On top of that, FHA has a loan that allows you to purchase a home, do some fix it renovations, and then include those costs in one loan.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

What are The Risks of Borrowing a Car Title Loan?

Every credit facility has its own advantages and disadvantages and for the car title loans, there are both sides of the coin. Your credit store does not count when seeking car title loans and this is because the risk is taken away by the car you own. When you are faced with a financial need, you have options that you can take. One, you may use your credit card but this puts you in the risk of ruining your credit score.

If you happen to miss payment on your credit card, the interest rates on the balance can skyrocket to the tunes of 35 percent APR. Second, you may choose to get unsecured loans and this again could attract high interest rates that can plunge you into financial pitfalls. Third, you can get a secured loan that attracts lower interests that you can easily afford to pay.

For one, car title loans are obtained based on the value of your car. The loan is borrowed based on the equity of the car as the bench mark collateral. The equity of the car is taken to be amount that the car can sell in the market at the present or prevailing condition less the amount that you could owe on the car.

If you have an unpaid car loan balance, the equity of the vehicle is calculated as per the current market value minus that loan. When applying for a car tile loan, the process does not require a lot of paperwork and it can be processed pretty fast within a day or so. What you need to do is to prove that the car holds a value and then you apply for the loan you want and sign the car title over to the lender.

The good this with this loan is that you can continue using the car as you pay your loan as agreed upon with the lender. When you are through with your fast loan repayment, the title is handed over back to you.  Although car title loans are a good option to get cash fast without having to go through a credit check or background screening, like any other loan, there are risks involved.

The main weakness witnessed in these loans is that you are likely to fall prey of lending companies that could subject you very strict and high penalties especially when you miss a payment or experience a loan delinquency. A car title loan is a short term loan, which is due for payment within a month. This means that it carries a triple-digit APR, and goes for an amount, which is less the value of your car.

It is advisable that you cautiously evaluate the reputation of the lender and read through every term of the fast cash loan contract before you sign it. Any mistake you make when repaying the loan could easily put you in trouble of losing your car. The situation can be made worse if the car sells less than the amount owed.

This means that besides losing the car, you may find yourself on the hook for paying the difference remaining for the loan balance.  Because you are likely to borrow a larger amount with these car title loans, if you happen to be in a financial problem and you roll over the balance, the interest rates hike. All the same, these loans are bad credit ok meaning that you can get them even with your bad credit.


What Are the Benefits of Car Title Loans

Car title loans are actually a form of fast cash loan with less risk for both the lender and the borrower. These loans are due within a month and they do not require credit check. The car title is used as security for the loan and this is why lenders are likely to impose a lower interest rate. What this means is that the loans are a less-risk credit facility. Car title loans are by far less risky than home loans.

This can give you a piece mind because you are not worried that your home may be repossessed if you default the loan payment. The loan is secured by your car, which actually you use as you repay the loan. The first benefit is that these car title loans are easy to approve and do not take long before they are processed.

This means that you can use them to solve pressing financial needs or emergencies that need cash such as paying for hospital bills, tuition fees, repairing your home, or other needs. Another car title loan benefit is that although you hand over the title of the car to the lender, you continue using it while still repaying your credit facility.

The interest rates for car title credit facilities are lower because there is collateral provided against the loan. The car is placed as security for the loan thus lenders will lower your interest rates. In addition, you can get more than what is offered by other fast cash loan facilities like payday and still get the money fast than it would in a home loan situation.

If you are seeking for no credit personal loans, the title loans are an ideal option.  Moreover, you can obtain a decent amount of loan with use of your car title and this means you can resolve a financial need that requires a large amount of money. Many of the fast cash loan facilities in the market only offer small amounts, which may not be suitable for a project that needs a larger amount of dollars.

Another benefit of these loans is that your credit score is not very important when applying for the loan. Since the car offsets the risks taken by the lender, this means that those with bad credit can get the loan they desire. Compared to other personal loans, car title loans are a good option for those ailing in bad credit.

The biggest challenge many consumer are facing is to obtain a loan when they are in bad credit. Because of the bad credit, lenders are taking advantage to impose high interest rates which continue to burden the already financially crippled borrower. The car title loans can eliminate this uncertainty and enable you obtain a loan without worrying about your credit score.

None the less, credit advocacy groups have argues that the title loan lenders target the low-income consumers who may not be able to afford the steep loan agreement terms put in place. In the event that you do not pay the loan as agreement, the lender has the right to repossess your vehicle and sell it to recover the defaulted car title loan.


How to Get A Good Deal from a Car Loan

Despite the fact that banks and other lending institutions seem to be coming back to engage the bad credit customer, there may be speculations that it will be an easy way out to obtain car loans. Certainly not! Banks do not want to make the mistake they did prior to the pre-credit crunch period. 

Although things seem brighter for the borrower, it may not be as easy bridge to cross. With statistics showing that lending for customers with bad credit has increased, it may not automatically indicate that every other person with bad score rating will be approved of car loans. For the car buyers, they will need to take control of their credit score in order to get the best deals and interest in their car loans.

As one way to remain informed of the interest rates available in the market, car buyers with bad credit should examine the average rates offered in the market. There are different sites where such information may be obtained from including myFICO.com car loan chart. This chart provides reliable information on interest rates which are offered to consumers on different spectrums of FICO score.

The charts also show the payment amounts for different car loan terms such as 60, 48, and 30 months period based on the interest rates provide in each range of FICO score. It is particularly important for you to estimate where your FICO score falls and the rates offered. This gives you an insight on what you expect to get from the market. It is also important to keep watch of your credit score and analyse it to ensure it does not reflect errors.

It is not enough to rely on the credit score rating which you get for free from the major credit bureau. You can purchase your current credit score report from myFICO.com website or from the credit bureaus before you go to seek for car loan deals. Assumptions don’t always work when trying to strike deals for car loans. You need to really have confidence with your credit score. You may be surprised that you are able to get a car loan more easily than a person with a higher score than yours.

You should not assume that because your score does not meet the loan requirement, you cannot get a loan. The problem is that, even if you get a car loan, you will most probably pay more in interest rates. For buyers with lowest credit score falling below 550 points, they are likely to get higher rates on their loans.

Saving is a good option if you want to get a good deal on a car loan. With low score, you need to make a bigger down payment that will enable you lower the interest rates or term of repaying the loan. It is advisable to have at least 25 percent of the price of the vehicle before you go on the negotiation table to present your deal. If you are in bad credit, you may need to consider a used car that has covered fewer mileages.

Used cars are cheaper and this means that you may easily get a car loan that can enable you purchase the vehicle easily. However, the interest rates for used cars may be higher than those for new cars but you do not have to borrow heavily to buy a used vehicle like the case of a new car, and this is something important for a consumer ailing with bad credit score. Always have the car checked by a qualified mechanic to ensure that it is in good operating condition.


A Bad Credit Will Not Just Affect Your Credit Rating ...But a Myriad of Life Aspects

If there is one thing that troubles consumers in their life is bad credit score. It seems like credit rating is a lifeline for many people because it determines how they live their day-to-day lives. Credit score determines the premium rates you pay for your insurance and the approval as well as interest rates on your personal loans. Before you lease an apartment, the landlords will scrutinize your credit score. Cell phone companies also checking your score rating to determine your reliability in payments.

Employment may be denied to you when you have bad credit rating. Essentially when your credit worthiness is bad as may be reflected by your FICO rating, it affects an array of aspects that determine the kind of life you lead. Your credit score can impact on other facets of your life. Considering that people are now rushing to secure credit cards owning to the increasing trend in offering reward perks to consumer, it is certain that consumers need to think again.

A bad credit that is below 550 points could signal a serious financial downfall. High interest rates on your credit cards and loans will be the order of the day if you do not manage your credit rating. Creditors and lenders consider bad credit applicants to have a high risk and they make you pay for this risk by attaching high interest rates to credit facilities they grant you.

A bad credit score could deny you employment because employers require you to have some good credit history especially in jobs pertaining to the upper management or the finance sector. High debt, outstanding bills or bankruptcy could deprive you a job in these high profile employment opportunities. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, it is within the jurisdiction for an employer to scrutinize your credit report and use the findings reasonably to award you or deprive you a job.

However, the employer should seek your permission to do that. If your credit score is bad, it may prompt the employer to closely question you and this could be a disadvantage in a highly competitive position. Credit rating is also affecting marriage relations meaning that if you contemplate having a permanent spousal relationship, you may need to examine each other’s credit score.

Personal money management as reflected by a credit rating may show how a person will manage finances when two parties decide to tie vows. Some divorce cases are resulting from inability to manage personal finances and provide for the family. If you cannot manage your finances when you are not in a relationship, it means that you may continue to face the same problem even after marrying.

According to Lisa J.B. Peterson of Lantern Financial, (a Boston financial planning group), you need to sit down and look at each other’s credit report as this is an important step if you plan to get married. One aspect that has been noted in credit score discussions before marriage is that people do not take these issues seriously before they tie their vows.

People wait too long before they discuss the personal credit score issues and probably this takes place after the marriage has been concealed. This is something that adds up to the stake of the marriage’s assets especially in divorce settlement and this is according to a New York City Matrimonial Lawyer Sheila Riesel. Bad credit rating has a long standing effect on other aspect like insurance premiums, security deposits on utilities, getting a cell phone contract, buying a car as well as starting your own business.


Financial Institutions Make A Comeback in Lending Car Loans to Consumers Ailing with Bad Credit

If you are shopping for a new car and you are not in excellent credit rating, you may face a challenge in obtaining a car loan. It is not easy to save for your car considering the increase regular expenses you have to pay in your home expenses like food, electricity, insurance, and telephone bills. During the recession that hit many parts of world from 2007, the granting of loans was affected. Initially before the economic crunch, banks and financial lenders were willing to lend consumers money but when the crisis began, they became reluctant in lending.

Before the crisis, many borrowers had borrowed money and when they were faced with economic challenges many defaulted the payments of the loans. For car buyers who needed funding, they had to get through tough times as the average credit score was skewed to a level high of 776 as in early 2010. This meant that car buyers with credit rating lower than 776 were limited in obtaining car loans.

However in a credit analysis that was released by Experian Automotive in the recent times, it has shown than car buyers are now getting approval for credit facilities even with poor score. According to the analysis, as in the first quarter of 2012, the average score for car buyers to obtain vehicle loans had gone down to about 760. The director of automotive credit at Experian Automotive, Melinda Zabritski noted that a few years ago, it was very difficult for a car buyer to get a loan when in bad credit.

Melinda further said that a lot of lenders who offered subprime financing did not even have the funds to lend. Following the positive economic growths being realized after the deep credit crunch, things are not turning bright for the car buyers. Buyers with lower credit scores are today getting approved for car loans and the rates fell way below 659 points as at 2012.

Moreover, lenders seem to be offering more loans to car buyers with a notable increase of loans for car buyers with non-prime to deep prime scores i.e. 679 to 550 are below. In size, buyers are getting bigger loans for both new cars and old vehicles. The Experian automotive credit analysis also found out that lenders are now offering lower monthly payments than before for used card loans and new vehicle loans.

The low interests for new vehicles and used cars coupled with longer terms of payment make the repayment of car loans affordable. The increasing trend in lending has partly been fuelled by the increased confidence among lenders. Consumers are today paying back their loans as agreed and this has increased the lenders’ confidence.

And because car loan borrowers were paying back their credit as agreed, there was notable reduction in vehicle repossession. Melinda further said that when lenders have low losses, they are able to lend more and even at better rates and all these aspects benefit the consumers. For many years, car buyers have struggled to get vehicle loans but today it seems their cry has been heard by lender owing to the favourable lending conditions.



When Are Payday Loans a Good Option

Payday lending is a financial term that has gained more popularity in the recent years. The growth of payday lending has increased significantly and this is because lenders are finding a quick way of making money while borrowers are getting a fast and convenient way of obtaining emergency cash. Payday loans are not designed for every other borrower and this is because they come with hefty interest rates.

Instead of completely locking out consumers with bad credit score from obtaining credit facilities, lenders have studies the needs of the market and are now providing these loans to lenders who desperately need them. Although there has been a lot of criticism on the way these loans are provided, it is certain that market is not shrinking anymore. One surprising thing is that borrowers are willing to borrow at those high interest rates.

Consumers with bad credit and who cannot access credit facilities from conventional lending institutions can now have a piece of mind. On one perspective, payday loans or cash advance can help borrowers maintain a good credit by using the money to make payments for their credit cards. Although the loans are expensive, they can help you avert further damages in your credit report considering that you are in bad credit and you need to build the reputation of your credit score.

Any further damage by late payment is not called for at this time you are building your score. People use next payday check loans to protect their credit score. The cumulative interest levied on missed credit card payments can have a bad effect on a person’s finances and when this is coupled with the effects late payments can cause on a borrower’s credit history, it is viable to use the payday loans to clear the credit card balances.

Payday loans can enable you get through a rough financial spot such as paying for damages of your car so that you can commute to work conveniently. However, these loans should not be taken lightly for any financial need. They should be obtained for very critical financial needs such medical bills, college fees, and payment of credit card debt to avert late payments.

There are other alternatives, which could be used by people with bad credit and they include peer to peer loans, which offer low interest rates but then again there are restrictions as to who can be granted such loans. One peculiar thing with payday loans is that they favor those people with very bad credit score and who cannot be considered for a credit facility by other lenders.

Despite the fact the traditional lending institutions are now offering some form of short term loans similarly to payday at much cheaper costs, they still cannot meet the needs of the market. In addition, the kind of customer being served is extremely in poor credit score. The main pitfall is that the payday credit facilities will not help you solve the real problem of bad credit. You are likely to get into a borrowing circle where you borrow, repay and borrow again. This is because you are using the money you could have reserved for other financial needs to meet the fees and interest rates charged against the payday loans.



Bad Credit Personal Loans… A Solution to Consumers with Bad Credit Score

As consumers continue to struggle with poor credit score, banks are realizing that they cannot do without them. Bad credit loans can provide solutions to those ailing with bad credit. During the recession period, which began back in 2007, many consumers found themselves locked out of credit facilities because they attained poor credit scores. Before the recession, banks were more than willing to lend borrowers, a phenomenon that resulted to over-borrowing.

Consumers took more loans than they actually needed and when the economic crunch hit them, they were placed in a difficult situation. The consumers began experiencing loan delinquencies and this was worsened by the fact that many had heavily borrowed and did not anticipate that they could suffer a blow from the economic crisis. Consumers suffered from mortgage foreclosures and bankruptcy cases.

Following the effects of bad credit many banks and lenders became strict and stopped lending uphazardly. Several years after the recession, banks are now repositioning their services to cater for the underserved group of consumers. These are consumers who are facing the troubles of poor credit score. If there is one aspect consumers should be keen about is their credit report.

Poor credit score can implicate on personal financial strength for a long period. Aspects like loan delinquencies and bankruptcy can reflect on the credit report for a long period possibly up to 7 years or more even after a person has recovered from financial problems. This is why people should ensure that they pay their bills in time and borrow what they can afford to pay.

Personal financial planning is very critical in restoring and maintaining a good reputation of the credit score. Banks are now offering assistance to people with bad credit score. If you are in bad credit, you can recall the daunting moments you might have gone through in the past trying to secure loans. However, consumers can today afford a smile as banks make a comeback in lending people with bad credit.

If you have a poor credit rating, it is now possible to obtain an unsecured or secured personal loan. However, since the lending institutions are cautious, they do not want to assume that everything is okay. This means that you will pay more interest rates for the loans. Bad credit loans are meant to serve people with poor or bad credit history.

To point out one more thing, although lenders may not pull your credit report prior to providing you with a loan, it is most probable that with the recent NSF charges, slow payment history, and default of personal loans they may be compelled to disapprove your application. There are two types of personal loan facilities for people with bad credit and they include secured and unsecured bad credit loans.

With a secured loan, you have to provide a security for the loan that is used as the collateral. This means that if you default the loan, your asset may be repossessed. The secured bad credit persona loans may offer relatively lower interest rates than the unsecured personal loans. Knowing well that you have a bad credit report that is crippling your ability to obtain loans, you need to be careful in the way you borrow, the amount you intent to borrow, and how you are going to repay the loan.