Posts Tagged ‘lenders’

Working Towards A Better Credit Score

Friday, May 1st, 2009

Raising your FICO credit score is important if you want to get a better rate on future loans, but the process will takes time and there are no quick fixes. In fact, quick fixes are usually detrimental to your score, because they usually backfire eventually. The best advice one could receive is to take your time, and learn the right approach to building credit.

To start improving your credit score, you must make sure you’re paying your bills on time and managing your available credit wisely. The most important item is definitely going to be your mortgage (make sure you pay it on time each and every month). Also note that installment loans (where you borrow a set amount to buy things like new furniture or appliances) are given more weight than credit cards.

A few additional rules to help you boost your score: 1) always keep your borrowing well below your credit limits, because your FICO score will suffer if you are maxed out on your credit cards, 2) never have more than two or three credit cards because a large number of credit cards will also lower your score, and 3) definitely don’t apply for several credit cards at one time; it makes lenders nervous and will lower your FICO score dramatically.

Many other factors will also affect your score, but this is pretty a good start! My advice: do your research and always be prepared — Good Luck!

What is a Second Chance Loan?

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Typically, bad credit prevents people from borrowing, especially borrowing for large expenses like houses and cars. Lenders don’t tend to trust people with low credit scores. However, there are lenders who offer second chance loans, which are designed for people with poor credit. There are many companies out there competing for customers so there are some basic things that drivers need to know before getting a second chance auto loan.

Remember that these types of loans are a good thing, as long as the borrower finds the right company to work with. Many companies will offer these types of lending simply because they want to make money, so you should try and find a company that has the customer’s best interest at heart and will work with them well every step of the way.

Note: it’s not always easy to be approved for this type of lending, as most lenders ask that their applicants have some kind of proof of their credit rating. Drivers should not simply see the second chance auto loan as another opportunity to get deeper into debt. This needs to be an opportunity to improve their credit rating and help their finances in a way that it couldn’t before.

I’m Finished with College, Now Who Do I Owe?

Friday, February 6th, 2009

If you’re like most students, you went through college unaware of the fact that you were spending a whopping amount on your education! You certainly enjoyed those years, but now it’s time to pay for them.

Now, the first major task is to figure out who you’re paying and how much you owe. The following should help you out with that:

What types of loans did I take out? Many types of loans exist. Some of the more popular ones are Stafford, Perkins, HEAL, and PLUS loans. You won’t have to worry about PLUS (Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students) because that one is your parents’ responsibility, but mostly everything else is your burden now. Take time to go through all the contracts you signed (and kept a copy of. You did, right?) and make a list of all the loans you now have.

How much do I owe in total? One way you can figure out how much you actually borrowed is to take a look at all the contracts you signed — they should have the dollar amount spelled out to the penny. Another way is to take a look at the notices that your lenders have been mailing you each semester (warning: be careful not to mix up your grants with your loans. Grants such as the Pell Grant do not have to be paid back. It was free money — sweet huh?).

Who is/ are my lender/s? Here’s how it works: You choose a bank to put up your money, you sign all sorts of forms, then the bank hands you the money in installments. Then they usually turn around and sell your forms to Sallie Mae for the same amount. By selling off loans, banks gain more money to lend to other students. What this means for you is that you’re now in Sallie Mae’s hands.

After finding out all this information, it’s now time to pay off all of that fun you had for four, six or eight years. Good luck!