Loans Information

All About Secured Loans



A secured loan is a loan agreement in which the borrower pledges property as surety for the loan; hence they are also known as homeowner loans. If the borrower continually defaults on loan repayments, the lender may take action to reclaim the debt including selling the property.

Advantages and disadvantages

With something as valuable as your property at stake; lenders know that you are likely to stick to the agreement. Add in the extra financial security provided by your property and it's easy to see why lenders regard you as low risk. As a result you can expect interest rates one or two points lower than with an unsecured loan, you can borrow greater amounts; anything up to 125% of the equity in your property, and you can spread the loan over a longer term.

The main disadvantage of a secured loan is the attendant risk of losing your property. You need to be absolutely sure that you understand the terms and conditions of the agreement and that you can meet loan repayments. If you find yourself in financial trouble most lenders will be sympathetic and do everything that they can to help reschedule repayments. After all, the last thing they want is to face a lengthy court case incurring hefty legal fees. However, it's important to understand that your property is at risk.

Should I take out a secured loan?

Before you take out a secured loan, think carefully about what you need it for. Secured loans can make astute financial sense in the right circumstances, for example: if you want to consolidate a number of smaller expensive debts, such as credit cards, into a single monthly payment. However, if you intend to use the loan for purchase, such as a new car or holiday, it would be wiser to start saving.

There is a convincing argument for arranging a secured loan to pay for home improvements; as this will add value to your property. However, any pay-back will be in the long-term and depends on the buoyancy of the property market.

Finding the best deals

Everybody knows that there are great loan deals available on the Internet; the difficulty lies in finding them. Unfortunately there are no real short cuts and the key is to do as much homework as possible first.

Start by getting in touch with a number of brokers (make sure they are FISA registered) and see what they can offer you. Larger brokerages can be motivated by hitting sales targets and you may find that they try to push a particular lender.

FISA regulations stipulate that lenders may not initiate contact for seven days after sending the initial loan agreement. This 'cooling off' period is to allow potential borrowers to consider their options. Use it carefully to compare brokers. Remember that you are under no obligation until you have signed the loan agreement.

Don't be fooled by unrealistic loan offers made over the phone. Unscrupulous lenders often promise unrealistic rates in the hope of getting their hands on your pay slips. Once they have your documentation; loan conditions are often then revised. If this happens to you; go elsewhere.

If you are still having difficulty finding a suitable loan; consider approaching and Independent Financial Advisor.

Michael Stepney is part of the team at First Aid Finance; one of the UK's leading secured loans brokers. For more advice or a secured loan quotation visit their website at First Aid Finance.


MORE RESOURCES:

Wall Street Journal Blogs

December 22 Is Deadline to Apply for SBA Economic Injury Disaster ...
MarketWatch - 17 hours ago
The deadline to file applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) is December 22, 2008. Small businesses and small agricultural cooperatives that ...
Small business loans dwindle The Tennessean
Loans available for September storm damage Columbia Missourian
Wells Fargo named top small-business lender in Texas Bizjournals.com
Marshall County Journal - Salt Lake Tribune
all 264 news articles


RTE.ie

IMF, Nordics pledge $4.6 billion loans to Iceland
The Associated Press - 49 minutes ago
HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — Four Nordic countries and the International Monetary Fund on Thursday pledged a combined $4.6 billion (euro3.64 billion) in loans ...
IMF, Nordic Neighbors Agree Billion-Euro Loans for Iceland Deutsche Welle
IMF loans Iceland $2.1bn Shropshire Star
led Iceland package to total $10.2 bln guardian.co.uk
MarketWatch - AsiaOne
all 644 news articles


Los Angeles Times

Democrats support FDIC loan plan
The Associated Press - Nov 18, 2008
He cited a program the government announced last week in which borrowers with loans owned or guaranteed by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would ...
Hiccups appear in bank loans Burnet Bulletin
CORRECT: Modified mortgages often re-default MarketWatch
Loan Modifications For Banks Could Mask Future Losses CNNMoney.com
Bristol Press - New York Times
all 1,028 news articles


KIDK

Loans to Detroit
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - 12 hours ago
The debate in Congress over a bailout of GM, Ford and Chrysler comes down to this: Should the taxpayers throw $25 billion in bridge loans to Detroit, ...
Give Big Three the federal loans they need The Bay City Times - MLive.com
Is Bailout Possible Without UAW Concessions? ABC News
Capitol Hill Watch | Automaker Bankruptcies Would Require ... Kaiser network.org
New York Times - DetNews.com
all 848 news articles


New York Times

Breakingviews.com Commercial Loans Are Looking Risky
New York Times, United States - 11 hours ago
The acceleration of this collapse over the past couple of days is partly due to the widely publicized potential default of two loans that are held in many ...


FHA-Backed Loans: The New Subprime
BusinessWeek - 7 hours ago
Washington, meanwhile, has vastly expanded the availability of such taxpayer-backed loans as part of the emergency campaign to rescue the country's swooning ...
FHA lowers limits on loans Arizona Republic
FHA Relaxes Program Rules for Homeowners Washington Post
all 4 news articles


Boston Globe (registration)

Ailing automakers plead for $25b in loans
Boston Globe (registration), United States - Nov 18, 2008
The chief executives of Chrysler and Ford also pleaded for the loans, which would come on top of a $25 billion package approved in September to help the ...
Auto Execs Reset Bailout Pitch; Republicans to Rewrite CAFE for Loans Ward's Auto (subscription)
Big 3 fail to close deal on bailout Los Angeles Times
Republican Leader Presses Compromise as Auto Chiefs Renew Plea Bloomberg
MarketWatch - MarketWatch
all 1,707 news articles


Boston Globe (registration)

Housing agency loosens foreclosure aid rules
Reuters - 18 hours ago
The Hope for Homeowners program will now insure home loans that have had as little as 3.5 percent of their value erased by the original lender. ...
HUD Said to Entice Banks to Enter Foreclosure Program (Update1) Bloomberg
US broadens rules for mortgage-aid plan Philadelphia Inquirer
Government To Let More Homeowners Swap For More Affordable Loans KWTX
BusinessWeek - New York Times
all 73 news articles


Money-Market Rates Fall on Bets Rate Reductions to Accelerate
Bloomberg - 1 hour ago
The euro interbank offered rate, or Euribor, that banks say they charge each other for three-month loans fell four basis points to under 4.08 percent today, ...
Asian Money Costs Fall as Banks Pump In Cash to Spur Lending Bloomberg
Japan, Australia Money Rates Advance Amid Recession Concerns Bloomberg
all 23 news articles


Tampabay.com

Ford says could wait on US loans until 2009
Reuters - Nov 18, 2008
"Our liquidity is such that we don't have to access the loans immediately, but that's going to depend on the economy going forward, and we think it's ...
Video: Automakers Testify As Hopes for Aid Falter AssociatedPress
Big Three in need of loans Clarksville Leaf Chronicle
google news commentComment by Gary Chaison Prof. of Industrial Relations, Clark University
Trading Markets (press release)
all 817 news articles

Loans - Google News


Fatal error: Cannot redeclare class TNX_l in /home/wwwaudi/public_html/inc/bottom.inc on line 10