Saturday, December 03, 2005

Bad Credit Refinance Loans - Finding a Good Lender

Carrie Reeder

Finding a good lender to help you with refinancing your home loan can be tricky if you have bad credit. There are plenty of predatory lenders out there who would like to take advantage of you with excessively high interest rates and fees. The key to finding a good lender is to know what are reasonable terms and to compare lending companies.

Look At Your Credit Record

Credit records are not perfect accounts. Before you apply to refinance your loan, you should check to see that all your information is correct. If you believe there is a false record, resolve it with the credit reporting company.

You also want to know what your credit score is. The lower the score the higher rate you will have to pay, but at least you will have an idea of what to expect from a lender. Paying three to five additional points is common for people with bad credit history.

Compare Lenders

Lenders offer different rates for the same type of loan, so shop around. The easiest way to compare quotes is to use an online website. By entering your information online, companies compete for your loan, offering you better rates. The internet also allows you to compare mortgage lenders outside your local area, possibly finding a better deal.

Once you receive offers, compare the rates and fees. Often the fees are where lenders make their money. Adding up the interest and fees, and comparing that figure will give you the true cost of the loan.

Look For A Good Deal

Mortgage lenders increase their profits by pushing loans with high interest rates and points. Some lenders will push these types of loans even if they aren't best for you, so beware of fast-talking dealers. Be sure to read the terms and look for hidden fees before you sign the paperwork.

Online mortgage companies eliminate some of this risk by requiring mortgage lenders to state their terms online. Online quotes are also more competitive since lenders know you are probably shopping around to refinance your loan. Once you have an offer, print out the terms for your records.

To view our list of recommended bad credit or subprime mortgage lenders online,
visit this page:
Recommended
Bad Credit Home Mortgage Lenders Online
.

About the Author

Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan
Guide
, an informational website with articles and the latest news about
various types of loans.

Dobler Consulting Inc
2339 Warwick Dr
Oldsmar
FL 34677
United States



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Friday, December 02, 2005

Auto Refinance

Tony

You have probably heard of auto refinance before. Or simply refinance.
The term "refinance" actually refers to a financial situation wherein a
borrower finds financing to pay off a current loan. Refinance is often put into
practice in home buying. In fact, refinancing is one of the most popular
methods of getting financing for a home loan.


With auto refinance, the same thing applies. Auto refinance is basically
paying off one loan with a new loan. The goal of auto refinance is to allow the
borrower to save some money from your monthly loan obligations. And as such, it
is one of the best kept secrets in the financing industry. For years now,
people have refinancing their homes and saving thousands of dollars. However,
the practice of refinancing car loans has yet to be indulged by most. Why?
Perhaps the reason is that auto loans generally behave differently from home
loans and people are naturally skeptical about new methods. Regardless, auto
refinance is still a good choice, provided that the situation is right.


When to get an Auto Refinance Loan


The only way for auto refinance to work is if you get it when the
interest rates are low. Mortgage rates tend to move with interest rates.
Therefore, if interest rates are low, then it's likely that mortgage rates are
low also. Low mortgage rates typically mean low monthly repayments and this
then is the situation you should aim for.


Only few people really understand the time value of money. Keep in mind
that the longer you pay for a loan, the bigger amount of money you actually
spend for it. Thus, by the end of the loan period, you would have paid more
money on interest than on the principal. This is why auto refinance is
important for it is one of the few methods that could help you minimize loan
costs and maximize your savings.


Who can benefit from Auto Refinance?


Almost anyone with a loan to his name can benefit from auto refinance.
Even car buyers with bad credit can obtain auto refinance as a way for them to
lower down their APRs. Let's say, for instance, you make an auto refinance loan
for $16,500 on a new Honda Accord. At the end of six months, you agree to pay
off the amount at 21% APR. So for a few months, this will be your monthly loan
obligation.


Then, you decide to take an auto refinance loan. However, this time,
your loan ate is at 6% APR. Your current monthly payment is $446 which gives
you total interest charges of $10,283 at the end of your loan period. Your auto
refinance loan offers you a monthly payment of $319 with total interest charges
of $2,639. Thus, by refinancing, you can save up to $7,600.

Tony Forster has a keen interest in living debt free having been "up to his ears" before realizing the need to take control. He has compiled an online financial article resource at http://www.loan4payday.info

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Oldsmar
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Thursday, December 01, 2005

Are you so desperate for a home loan that you are stretching your finances too far?

Syd Johnson

Once you get a quote for a home loan don't be tempted to take the entire amount if it looks like you overqualified. Most consumers fill out an application for a home loan and hope they can get enough money to buy their dream house.

A nice chunk of those consumers also overqualify for their home loans. If go to your local bank, credit union or mortgage broker and you are approved for a $500,000 home loan, they payments might be a bit more than you realistically afford.

Use a mortgage calculator to see your real monthly expenses
If you are not good with your money or would prefer to not stretch your finances to the limit to get a home, get your hands on a good mortgage calculator as soon as you get the figures on your home loan. You might think all will be fine as long as you can own your own property.

However, you must take into account all of the things that come along with owning a home. Sometimes you can get so caught up with the actual dollar amount of your home loan that you forget the other pieces of your budget.

Do you still have cash for entertainment and personal use?
Check your budget to see if you still have money to enjoy things like going out, purchasing new furniture, a family vacation once per year and regular manicures and pedicures. Then add in your student loans, car payments, credit card bills, lunches at work and tickets to take your family to baseball games a couple of times every season.

You also need money for home maintenance and repairs
There are also the home maintenance issues that are not included when you qualify for a home loan. If you live in a part of the country that's particularly hot or cold, your heating and air conditioning bill could easily add up to a couple of hundred dollars per month.

Your home loan package does not include budgeting for lawnmowers, landscaping and fixing broken windows. Some of these expenses can be put off until a later day, but some of them will require your immediate attention once you move into your home.

Know your spending habits to gauge how much debt you can carry
If you are used to living paycheck to paycheck and generally not taking care of your budget as a renter, you will probably carry over some of the same habits to your new home.

The best way to avoid a financial disaster is to make your home loan a part of your financial life instead of the centerpiece of your financial life. If you are stressed out about money issues from the very first move in, it is unlikely that you will enjoy your new home or anything else in your life for a long time.

About the Author

This article may be freely distributed as long as there's an active link to http://www.rapidlingo.com
Syd Johnson
Editor

Dobler Consulting Inc
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Oldsmar
FL 34677
United States



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Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Alternative Venture Finance: Federal Grants and Loans

Dave Lavinsky

While most companies seeking venture capital initially think about angel investors and venture capitalists, a large alternative source of financing is federal grants and loans. The two largest federal grant programs are run by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and by Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs).

An SBA loan, regardless of whether it is a direct loan from the SBA, or, as is more common, a bank loan guaranteed by the SBA, is essentially a bank loan. The benefit of it versus a traditional bank loan is the rate. SBA rates are typically much less than traditional business loan rates.

In most cases, in a guaranteed SBA bank loan, the SBA guarantees 90 percent of the loan will be repaid to the bank. As such, banks are at much less risk than in most other loans, and are a bit more flexible with regards to who they offer these loans. However, the SBA usually requires the founders of the company to personally guarantee the loans, which makes them risky should the venture collapse.

Alternatively, Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) are privately organized corporations that are licensed and regulated by the SBA. Small or emerging businesses which qualify for assistance from the SBIC program can receive equity capital and/or long-term loans from these companies. Essentially, these companies provide their own capital, which is supplemented by federal funds, to the companies they fund.

Interestingly, U.S. taxpayers benefit from the SBIC program as tax revenues generated from successful SBIC investments have more than covered the cost of the program. Likewise the program has created hundreds of thousands of jobs.

In summary, SBA and SBIC financing are viable alternatives to financing from angel investors and venture capitalists and should be considered in the capital raising process. Similarly to angel and VC financing, companies seeking SBA and SBIC financing need a strong management team and value proposition, and a highly professional and compelling business plan in order to raise the capital they need.

About the Author

As President of Growthink Business Plans, Dave Lavinsky has helped the company become one of the premier business plan development firms. Since its inception, Growthink has developed over 200 business plans. Growthink clients have collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched numerous new product and service lines and gained competitive advantage and market share.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2005

A Fresh Start for Family Finances in 2005

Rob Sallay

While 40% to 50% of us make New Year's resolutions on January 1-a ritual that has existed since ancient times-approximately 60% to 80% of us have already broken them by the end of February, according to researchers.

It's still not too late, however, to reset the trajectory on your family's finances, experts note.

1. Build a Budget
If you haven't already done so, create a realistic budget.

Approximately 85% of your income should be set aside for necessities like housing, food, health care and clothing, according to the professionals at VISA USA.

This leaves 15% for entertainment-and something many consumers completely neglect: savings.

2. Distinguish "Needs" from "Wants"
Make sure you have a clear understanding of what you need in life versus what you want in life.

You need to pay for the antibiotics when the doctor diagnoses a respiratory infection. You don't need to buy the latest movie released on DVD to aid in your recovery.

You need to pay the rent or mortgage. You don't need to buy the lovely accent pillows that beckon to you from the interior design boutique.

Always separate the needs from the wants-particularly if money is tight.

3. Monitor Your Spending
To see what you really spend each month, keep a running log of all purchases-no matter how small-for a full month. This will give you a visual display of where your money goes after you deposit your paycheck.

You may find that the $3 cup of coffee that starts each day adds up to $90 a month-a pocketbook pincher that may prompt you to buy a pound of coffee beans at the local market and grind them yourself. That $90 blossoms into $1,080 in savings at the end of a year.

4. Create an Emergency Fund
Life is full of surprises-both positive and negative. If you happen to lose your job or suffer an illness that temporarily sidelines you, you will need cash reserves to support you during the rough months.

"In most cases, consumers who find themselves dealing with a financial hardship are unprepared and have not saved for unexpected situations," says Diane Giarratano, director of education for Novadebt, a U.S. financial management service agency, with multiple locations, that provides credit counseling, budgeting and financial education.

5. Educate Yourself
When you attended high school or college, you studied history, mathematics, language and science, but there was probably no course in basic money management.

If you need help in meeting a financial goal-whether it's buying a home or reducing your debt-take advantage of community resources.

"Consumers should feel free to contact a good credit-counseling agency to obtain free advice with regard to establishing a budget or to learn how to handle unexpected hardships," Giarratano says.

6. Don't Become a Victim
Identity theft has become an international epidemic, so be extremely cautious when giving out your credit card or personal identifying information. Monitor your credit card bills carefully for unauthorized charges, and immediately report suspicious activity to the issuing company.

"Identity theft is often an inside job," warns Robert L. Siciliano, a personal security expert with Boston, Massachusetts-based SafetyMinute Seminars and author of "The Safety Minute."

"Lower-level help desk workers and frontline call center employees often have access to all our personal information in their databases," he says. "What are you doing to protect yourself? If you're not paying attention, you could be a victim, too."

And when a disaster strikes, such as the recent killer tsunamis in South Asia and East Africa, be wary of scammers from fake charities before reaching for your checkbook. Unfortunately, there will always be unscrupulous individuals who seize such opportunities to profit from others' misfortune.

"Avoid using your credit card to make contributions," advises James Walsh, author of "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man: How Ponzi Schemes and Pyramid Frauds Work…and Why They're More Common Than Ever."

"Even though this can be a convenient way to proceed, many crooks are looking for credit card numbers," Walsh says. "They will press strongly for 'immediate support.' Don't rush."

Instead, initiate the call yourself, and select a reputable charity.

"Go with recognized names," Walsh says. "No organization is perfect; even the best-meaning groups occasionally misallocate money or fall victim to abusive employees. But larger charitable groups-like the Red Cross, the United Way and Catholic Charities-have the mechanisms in place to audit their people and performance."

Charitable contributions are tax-deductible, so keep good records of all donations-including small cash gifts.

---------
Fox Symes assists all Australians discover the truth about their debts and how they can rapidly reduce them. There are methods available to the Australian public and you can discover how to use these to assist you in reducing your debt with a free phone consultation from Fox Symes. Visit http://www.foxsymes.com.au or contact them directly on 1300 361 204.

About the Author

Rob Sallay

Dobler Consulting Inc
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Monday, November 28, 2005

Adverse Debt Levels Blight UK Consumers Personal Finances

Richard Green

Debt levels are at an all time high in the UK. The younger generation tend to be feeling the pinch the most, but parents are increasingly being required to bail them out, often at great expense to their own limited mortgage or retirement savings.

It has become almost accepted as a fact of life that graduates will begin their careers with a considerable level of personal debt. The Association of Investment Trust Companies found that on average students expected to graduate with £7,208 of debt, while parents believed it would be nearer to £9,741, however the real average was found to be currently running at £13,501. Graduates then need to service credit cards, take out a mortgage, then cover the payments, repay university loans, not to mention the pressure to start saving earlier, and save more, for their retirement, whilst the basic state pension increasingly becomes inadequate. The government revealed in June that student debt for 2003-04 was seven times higher than they were in 1994-95 and the Student Loans Company has shown that debts owed to them has risen to more than £13bn.

It is not only students who face financial difficulties early in life. Consumer Credit Counselling Services – Scotland ( http://www.cccs.co.uk/ ), has indicated that young adults in general, under the age of 25, now account for more than 10 per cent of the estimated 32,000 people who have fallen into severe arrears on non-mortgage debts of more than £1 billion.

Malcolm Hurlston, Chairman of the Consumer Credit Counselling Services (CCCS) said, "It is noticeable that young people are accounting for an increasing proportion and the number of them seeking assistance has risen by about 25 per cent over the past two years or so."

Analysts have been bracing themselves for news of a sharp increase in adverse debt levels from the major high street banks following report figures of a 21 per cent increase in bad debts levels at Lloyds TSB. City analysts expect HBOS and Royal Bank of Scotland to declare that bad debt charges have risen by around 20% in their personal banking businesses, and Barclays, HSBC and Alliance & Leicester are all expected to tell a similar tale of rising loan defaults. Citigroup analysts are expecting bad debt charges from its retail banking division to rise about 24% in the first half of this year to £230m, while last year HBOS's provisions for bad debt rose from £1bn to £1.2bn.

Keith Stevens, of the chartered accountants firm Wilkins Kennedy ( http://www.wilkinskennedy.com/ ), said: "Creditors profit by lending money to people and collecting interest, and the longer they can keep that cycle going the better for them. Unless borrowers own property of significant value, it's often not in creditors' interest to call in their debts." He also continued that he believed some creditors were increasingly taking a hands-off approach, allowing debtors to pile up large amounts of debt, and then collecting interest and penalty charges for as long as borrowers were able to continue paying. This has lead to an increase in the number of borrowers filing for bankruptcy themselves when previously they would have been forced into it earlier by their lenders.

House repossessions have also significantly increased over the past year, with the Council of Mortgage Lenders announcing 4,640 home repossessions during the first half of 2005, compared with 3,070 for the last half of 2004. Government figures show that there has also been an increase in the number of homeowners being taken to court for mortgage arrears.

Some of the major banks and financial service providers have taken the initiative and started to help police the growing adverse debt problems with HSBC announcing that it will share their full credit record, of both positive and negative information, on its personal customers with other regulated financial services companies through the Experian, Equifax and CallCredit credit reference agencies, in efforts to keep tabs on its consumers' debt.

Michael Geoghegan, Chief Executive of HSBC said: "It is no more in the interests of a customer to borrow more money than they can afford than it is for a bank to lend them the money." The move has been widely heralded by analysts, as Michael Geoghegan added, "It is the only way to ensure that lenders properly understand the full financial exposure of customers before they let them sign up to debt that some simply can't afford."

This all comes amidst media pressure for financial firms to become more responsible. One case widely featured in the news concerns a couple who took out the £5,740 loan at 34.9% APR for house improvements, but they were already in arrears on two prior mortgages, and became unable to keep up the loan repayments. Over the course of the 15 year loan term the amount repayable had escalated to £384,000. Attempts by the loan company to still enforce the huge debt, eventually had to be fought off by the couple through the law courts.

The couple urged others considering taking out a loan to seek advice and to, "obviously read the small print and ask the questions that perhaps you don't think about at the time, and just make sure you know exactly what the consequences are should anything go wrong".

There are currently many sources of information to help consumers make decisions regarding their finances and debt levels. Financial comparison sites like Moneynet ( http://moneynet.co.uk/ ) can provide impartial information on loans, mortgages, adverse credit, etc, to find the best product for individual circumstances. Consumer help sites like the National Debtline ( http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/ ) provide free confidential and independent advice on how to deal with debt problems, and the Citizens Advice Bureau ( http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ ) are there with trained volunteers to help with legal, monetary and other problems, through a free, independent and confidential advice service.

The more help and information that is available to consumers and the more responsible the lending agencies become, the safer finance will be for the most vulnerable who are looking to borrow money, to prevent them getting into un-repayable levels of debt, however these services can only be of help if people actually use them.

Malcolm Hurlston of CCCS said, "We are advising about 4,000 people in Scotland and I would estimate that our figures represent only about one in eight of those who need help".

Financial education is something needs to be provided at an early stage to make people realise the importance of taking on the accountability for their own finances, as well as highlighting where to access help for when it is required. Budgeting is a subject many school leavers have little practical knowledge of, but one which they desperately need to be made aware of before they start to control their own finances.

Where there is existing advice or help, this must be made available and known to all in order to prevent more people getting too deeply into debt, or falling prey to loan sharks like the recent case of Mark Washington Johnson who has been jailed in Birmingham for nearly four years. Mr Johnson was found guilty of charging up to 8,000 per cent interest on loans, taking Social Security benefit books or National Insurance numbers as "security" for the unauthorised loans and then piling on default charges for missed payments. If we are to prevent this sort of abuse occurring to the weakest members of society then public awareness needs to be raised and the most vulnerable people given the assistance best suited to understand and control their own money.

Released by bigmouthmedia ( http://www.bigmouthmedia.com )

About The Author

Richard Green lives in Edinburgh working for bigmouthmedia ( http://www.bigmouthmedia.com ), occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla ( http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/ ), drinking too much coffee, and considering the possibility of there being intelligent life on Earth.

Dobler Consulting Inc
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Oldsmar
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Sunday, November 27, 2005

A College Loan Will Finance Your Education!

Mike Yeager


A college loan has given people all over the United States a chance to further their education, even if they are not making a lot of money. Education loans can be a big help in paying for college. You'll find these loans offer a low interest rate and a generous repayment period. Of course, student loans must be repaid, usually with interest, although some education loans have provisions for cancellation if the borrower performs a program-related service. If you are looking for a loan, be aware that there are many different types of loans. Try to find the student loan that fits you the best. For example, there is a loan called the Federal Stafford Loan. The Federal Stafford Loan is the most widely used loan in the student education loan program. Federal guidelines limit the maximum interest rate to no more than 8.25% and outline repayment terms of up to 10 years. Remember that if you ever need help or are falling behind on payments, consider a consolidate student loan.

Tips on getting a deferment for your College Loan.

If for some reason you are unable to meet your monthly payments, consider a college loan deferment. A deferment is a suspension of payments for special reasons. Usually, those who borrowed their first Stafford Loans after July 1, 1993, are eligible to defer payments if are enrolled in at least half-time at an eligible school, unemployed, in a graduate fellowship program, in a rehabilitation training program for people with disabilities, or suffering economic hardship. A college education is expensive, but with the right student loan you will be attending class without financial worry in no time!

Mike Yeager


Publisher


http://www.a1-loans-4u.com/

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