Reed Financial Group

The goal of both debt settlement and debt consolidation is to lower your debt. Debt settlement companies negotiate with your creditors to sometimes reduce the amount of your unsecured debt. There will be a fee associated with the program that equates to roughly 1% of the interest that you will pay if you continue to pay the creditors directly.

Debt settlement can reduce your debt 40% to 60%. A debt settlement program can also cut our payments by 40% in most cases making it easier to cope with your monthly budget. In most cases for a consumer in a debt settlement program they are typically debt free within 2-3 years that can be about half the time it would take in a Consumer Credit Counseling Program or a conventional debt consolidation loan.

Debt consolidation pays off your high interest debts with a low interest loan. Home equity loans provide the lowest rates, but after stretching out the loan over 20 years the 6% interest refinance winds up costing the same amount as a 21% interest credit card. A conventional bank loan will not pay off the debts but rather transfer the debt from one institution to another. This action appears to banks and mortgage companies as a last ditch effort on a consumers part to try and rectify a sinking situation. Many mortgage companies see debt consolidation loans as a sign of stress in your financial situation making it difficult for them to extend you credit in the future.

Credit Score Implication

Reducing your debts through debt settlement is a method to get out of debt in a short period of time relative to your credit history. You credit score will drop, making you ineligible for prime lending situations. You can apply for sub-prime credit after a year however the goal of a debt settlement program is to get out of debt not to create new ones.

Taking out a loan to consolidate your debt will have a major impact on your credit. Since your debt isn’t actually decreasing, you will be negatively hit on your credit for opening another account making your overall situation more overextended. Most debt consolidation loans are issued with the assumption that the problem debt will be paid off and then the accounts closed. However 98% of consumers that get a debt consolidation loan do not close the problem accounts but rather make things worse by incurring new debt on the paid off accounts. Now the consumer is faced with the debt consolidation loan in addition to the new debt on the other accounts that were previously paid off.

Financial Choices

No one financial choice will fit everyone’s needs. While debt settlement will have an affect on your credit report, additional loans may be too expensive. In extreme cases, debt settlement can help to avoid bankruptcy and costly debt consolidation loans. Many debts settlement companies report that about 50% of the debt that their clients put into the program is debt from a prior debt consolidation loan.

By: Roger Brown

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Do you have a bad credit rating, i.e., a credit rating of less than 580? Are you almost bankrupt or have filed for bankruptcy? Do you need personal finance as the payday is a few weeks away? If your answers to these questions are “Yes,” you need not worry. Fortunately, there are several subprime and bad credit lenders who lend money to people with a low credit rating and can help you out.

Subprime and bad credit lenders have a variety of personal finance options available for individuals with past bankruptcies. To begin with, you can check with your local bank or credit union whether it offers bad credit loans. You can also search on the internet for bad credit lending houses that offer loans and personal finance options.

However, do bear in mind that the risk of lending money to people with bad credit ratings is high, and therefore, the interest rate that the loan companies charge for loans is at least 4% higher than the typical prime lending rate of banks.

Here are some things you need to bear in mind if you are looking for a lender to help you out:

1. Consider a number of sources before you sign up for a loan; do not accept the first offer that you get from a subprime lender.

2. Read and understand the entire loan agreement carefully, especially the repayment schedule, as well as check whether you can really afford this loan. The loan details may be wonderful, but if your pay check does not give you the cushion to take the loan, re-consider your decision before you sign the agreement.

3. Further, learn everything about the other “hidden” charges such as transaction fees and application fees that the loan will entail. Ensure that you clarify all the details regarding the loan agreement with the lender. Especially, if there is a certain part that you do not understand, ask your loan agent to explain it in detail.

If your credit history is bad or if you have undergone a bankruptcy, it may become a little difficult for you to obtain a loan. Some lenders and subprime loan providers require additional security and may charge higher interest rates, but they will certainly be able to help you. Just spend some time and effort on conducting a thorough research to find the right personal finance option from a bad credit lender that maximizes your chances of sailing through the bad financial times.

By: Joseph Then

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