Articles. News. Information.

Category of Information, News & Articles


Should I Get a Consolidation Loan?


If you've got a really unmanageable amount of credit card debt, you might be considering a consolidation loan. A consolidation loan is a loan that you can use to pay off all your debts, meaning that you can pay them off for less money without having to worry about lots of different bills. Like anything, though, consolidation loans have their advantages and their disadvantages, and it pays to take a careful look at what they offer before you commit yourself.

The Interest Rate.

You should always shop around to get the best interest rate you can if you opt for debt consolidation. This interest rate is almost as important as the one on your mortgage, but much harder to change after you've signed on the dotted line. Don't be fooled by any offers that give you a good rate for a limited time - you're going to have this loan for quite a while.

That said, the chances are that any interest rate you're offered on a debt consolidation loan will be significantly lower than the interest rates you're currently paying on credit cards. If you have lots of cards at a high rate and you've had no luck transferring the balances, then debt consolidation could be a very good idea.

The Length of the Loan.

The most dangerous thing about debt consolidation loans is that the ones with lower payments generally last a very long time - you could be paying it off for twenty years, or even longer. You should try to find a loan that doesn't last as long, and asks for payments that are as much as you can afford. If you look at what your payments would be and think 'oh, how cheap!', the chances are you'd be signing up to them for a long time to come.

Look Out for More Cards.

One of the most dangerous things about getting a debt consolidation loan is that, since your credit cards have all been paid off, it can be tempting to accept the next few offers you get for new ones. After all, now you're saving all this money, you can afford a few more cards, can't you? Don't fall into this trap! Consolidating your debt and then running up more is an extremely bad idea.

You Could Lose Your Home.

Of course, this is the absolute number one most dangerous thing about debt consolidation. Almost without exception, the loan will be secured on your home. That means that if you start missing payments, the finance company will kick you out, take ('repossess') your house, sell it, and pay back the debt with that money.

There's a whole industry around property developers buying repossessed houses and selling them on for a profit. The chances are that you'll come out of it with nowhere near enough money left to buy even the smallest home, and nowhere to live. Just imagine that. If you do take a debt consolidation loan, you need to read the small print as if your life depended on it (it does), and then be very, very careful. Good luck.

Ken Austin is the webmaster at Debt Consolidation Solutions and Credit Relief Solutions


MORE RESOURCES:

Javno.hr

Loan Delinquencies Hit Record High Last Year
Washington Post, United States - 10 hours ago
By Nancy Trejos Delinquencies on auto loans and home equity lines of credit reached their highest levels on record during the third quarter of 2008, ...
Late loan payments hit record high in 3Q USA Today
US consumer loan late payments at 28-year high Reuters
Delinquent consumer loans rise to near record Minneapolis Star Tribune
Newsday - Looking Fit
all 62 news articles


PennyMac, Led by Ex-Countrywide Head, Buys FDIC Loans
Bloomberg - 18 hours ago
Known as PennyMac and led by Stanford Kurland, the firm is paying an average of 30 cents to 50 cents on the dollar for the loans and the FDIC is sharing ...
FDIC Unnationalizes Some Debt Forbes
BlackRock, Highfields-backed firm to share gains and losses with FDIC MarketWatch
PennyMac Completes Purchase of $558 Million in Mortgage Loans from ... Associated Content
The Associated Press - PR Newswire (press release)
all 78 news articles


GM, Chrysler, credit unions expand loan programs
Forbes, NY - 19 hours ago
AP , 01.07.09, 03:29 PM EST General Motors and Chrysler say they're both expanding deals that offer low-cost loans and special pricing incentives to credit ...
GM, Chrysler, credit unions expand loan programs The Associated Press
GM To Expand Credit Union Discounts Nationwide CNNMoney.com
GM expands credit union program nationally Automotive News
PR Newswire (press release) - Crain's Detroit Business
all 128 news articles


Boston Globe

General Motors May Not Require Further US Loans to Survive
Bloomberg - Jan 6, 2009
7 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp. has enough government loans to cover the worst-case scenario it described last month and says it won’t need more if ...
End Run On the Treasury Washington Post
GM says govt loans cover worst scenario - report Reuters
GM May Not Need Further Loans: Report TheStreet.com
Detroit Free Press - RTT News
all 132 news articles


Borse Dubai May Get $2.5 Billion Loan as Credit Eases
Bloomberg - 4 hours ago
8 (Bloomberg) -- Borse Dubai Ltd. may be the emirate’s first state-owned company to tap banks to refinance a multibillion-dollar loan since September, ...


Chemistry World

Judge OKs LyondellBasell loans after Ch. 11 filing
Forbes, NY - 1 hour ago
US Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber gave the company's American unit interim approval to seek up to $2.167 billion in loans. Earlier in the court session, ...
Lyondell Can Borrow $2 Billion, Bankruptcy Court Says Bloomberg
Bankruptcy loans approved for LyondellBasell Chemistry World
Lyondell gets over $2 bln in bankruptcy financing guardian.co.uk
The Daily Deal (subscription) - Bloomberg
all 421 news articles


CEP News

Fewer apply for home loans; credit line delinquencies increase
Los Angeles Times, CA - 9 hours ago
The average interest rate for 30-year mortgages rises, while rates for 15-year and adjustable-rate loans fall. By E. Scott Reckard Fewer Americans applied ...
Mortgage Applications Decrease In Latest MBA Weekly Survey Originator Times
Mortgage applications down in latest survey Forbes
Mortgage App Volume Falls, But Household Apps Rise Housing Wire
Los Angeles Times
all 67 news articles


Payday lender can't charge 365 pct loan rate in NH
Motley Fool - 13 hours ago
The payday lender had fought New Hampshire's 6-day-old law capping annual payday and title loan rates at 36 percent. Under its new proposal, Advance America ...
State puts end to loan blitz The Union Leader
Good riddance to pricey short-term loans Concord Monitor
all 3 news articles


Boston Globe

Mass. battery maker seeks US loan for plants
Boston Globe, United States - 10 hours ago
If approved for the loans, A123 said, the money would come from the $25 billion approved by Congress last year to help the US automotive industry invest in ...
A123's proposed battery plant hinges on loan from feds Automotive News
A123 Systems plans US battery production Reuters
Battery co. seeks $1.84B boost Boston Herald
Earth2Tech - MSNBC
all 59 news articles


New conforming loan limits and other sources of borrower confusion
Los Angeles Times, CA - 17 hours ago
Just what the conforming loan limit is on single-family homes and condos in Southern California -- it was raised last year to $729750 in designated ...
Lofgren sees higher jumbo mortgage limits returning Bizjournals.com
all 4 news articles

Loans - Google News

Home | Sitemap
© 2006 eInfoJunction.com Homepage | Web Directory | Article Directory| Bid Directory