Loans
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Loan Types
Credit Card Loans
Most credit cards offer revolving credit, meaning you can carry a balance from month to month. You will be required to make only a small minimum payment each month. Revolving credit is how the companies make money -- they profit by charging you interest on the balance you carry. A credit card is basically a form of borrowing. As with any other loan, the privilege of borrowing does not come free as companies charge interest on the amount you borrow.
Cards come with either variable or fixed rates although they can change their terms at any time as long as they give customers 15 days notice. Annual percentage rate or APR is a yearly rate, expressed as a percentage, that is your cost of credit. Companies must reveal this rate on card agreements and your monthly account statements. You will also see a periodic rate which is the rate applied to your monthly balance. These rates can change, so take note of them on your bills.
A balance transfer is the amount you move from one card to another card, usually in an attempt to get a lower interest rate and a cash advance is cash you can borrow from your credit card company. You will have a cash advance limit, which will appear on your statement. Companies typically charge 2 percent of the total as a fee for the privilege, as well as applying an interest rate, which is usually even higher than the rate applied to purchases.
A grace period is the time between when you make a purchase and when the company begins charging interest on that purchase. Grace periods, typically 25 days, have been shrinking to as little as 20 days, making it more difficult for even those who pay off their balances regularly to avoid interest charges. The grace period disappears if the cardholder already has a balance on the card. You may also pay a late fee which is a fee charged for late payments.
Beware of companies charging a monthly fee to customers who do not use their card frequently. They call this an inactivity period and if this happens you should call your company and tell them you will not stand for it.
Keep in mind that the terms of your card are pegged to your credit history. No one is going to give you anything but a high rate if your credit history is bad and most people will get cards with less favorable terms.
Debt Management Loans
Debt Management Services offer services where you can learn how to put your money problems behind you without declaring bankruptcy or ruining your good credit profile. These Debt Management companies negotiate reduced interest rates with unsecured creditors such as credit card companies, department stores, collections agencies, etc and organize your total debt obligation into a single monthly payment. They promise you the chance to spend less pounds each month and still watch your monthly balances decline.
If you are having trouble meeting the minimum monthly payments on your bills or feel you are slipping further behind each month and need a serious debt management program, then debt management services may be the answer to your problems. It is worth remembering however that even though your monthly bills may reduce the total amount you actually pay back will be significanly more as you will be paying your debts off over a longer period of time.
Personal Loans
Upfront fees increase the cost of your loan. For calculating the actual cost of your loan do consider the upfront fees charged by the lender. These upfront fees increase the cost of loan considerably. Normally the types of fees charged are processing and administrative fees. A Longer tenure means more interest payment so don't always try to go for a longer one as that means you end up paying more interest amount to your lender.
Your EMI paying capacity should be the criteria for deciding the tenure once you have decided on a lending institution. Always ensure whether or not the fixed interest rate is actually fixed or not. Generally what appears to be a fixed interest rate is not fixed. This is true generally in the case of banks as the interest they quote are a certain percentage points (called the spread) over the prime lending rate (PLR) and since the PLR can not be fixed neither can your interest. There are also fixed interest rate schemes available in the market and you should consult the loan agreement for this.
When you prepay a part of the loan, the lender gives you two options - reduction of EMI or reduction in tenure. Always choose for reduction in tenure because a longer tenure means more interest payment. A monthly reducing balance is better than an annual reducing balance. In the monthly reducing, principal repayments are credited at the end of every month and interest is calculated on the outstanding principal at the end of every month. In the annual reducing, interest is calculated on an annual basis on the outstanding, at the beginning of the year.
If you hold an account or a credit card with any of the banks offering personal loans, explore the option of borrowing from that bank first. Typically, banks offer lower rates of interest to already existing or old customers. Also, keep an eye out for interest rate discounts during the festival season. Most importantly, do borrow if you want to pay off your debt or simply want to go for a holiday, but overborrowing and in, the process, paying higher interest is not recommended.
Student Loans
Student loans are part of the Government's financial support package for students embarking on a course of higher education in the UK, and are available to help students meet their living costs while studying,
Loan Mortgages
Variable Rate
Linked to the Bank of England base rate, this type of mortgage can have variable monthly repayments depending on whether base rates are increasing or decreasing. In recent months the trend has been for an increase in rates, although they still remain relatively low and appear to be stable at present. It is thought by many analysts that further increases may be in the pipeline before rates start to decrease.
Fixed Rate
In these type of mortgages your monthly payments are fixed and not affected by interest rate movements. This makes budgeting easier, but beware - after the initial fixed period you may be tied in to the mortgage for a number of years at a variable rate. In order to exit the mortgage you may need to pay a hefty redemption penalty.
Capped Rate
In this type of mortgage your payments are capped. If base rates move above your capped rate, your mortgage will not increase. If base rates fall below your capped rate, your payments will reduce accordingly. Again, be aware of the tie in periods and redemption penalties at the outset.
Repayment Mortgages
Becoming more popular, this type of mortgage gives you the certainty that at the end of your mortgage term all of the mortgage debt will be repaid. This is because each monthly payment consists of the full amount of interest due plus a proportionate amount of the capital debt.
Endowment Mortgages
Very much in the news in recent months, as projected payouts may not meet the value of many peoples mortgages. With this type of mortgage you pay only the interest due each month with the full capital debt to be repaid at the end of the mortgage term. An endowment is taken out to run alongside the mortgage to provide the capital repayment at the end of the term, or before should one or more of the persons insured pass away.
ISA Mortgages
The theory for this mortgage is the same as the Endowment Mortgage, but using an ISA to repay the capital debt at the end of the term. The advantage of this is that an ISA is more tax-efficient than an endowment. The disadvantage is the lack of life assurance, although this can be arranged seperately.
Flexible Mortgages
This type of mortgage is becoming more readily available. As the name suggests, flexibility is very much the benefit here. You may be able to repay more (or less) than your regular payment each month, settle the mortgage early without penalty, take payment "holidays", the number of options are vast.
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