Finance Glow

Get glorious financial life.

You can still get Auto Loans when your credit is not good

Credit is the yardstick to judge an individual’s ability to repay a loan. All lenders, while extending money, would check your credit report to make sure that the money lent today would come back in future.

Your credit determines the amount of loan you can get and the rate of interest applicable for you. Greater credit means lower risk.

Now what if you need to buy a car and your credit is not in a good stand? Would you wait for your credit to become good or is there any other way to get bad credit auto loans?

Yes there are. Subprime Lenders and Hard Money Lenders would always offer you refinance auto loans; however, the rate of interest may be higher than what is charged by conventional lenders.

Some tags that make your credit report ugly are:

  • Bankruptcy
  • Account under Collection
  • Foreclosure
  • Late Payments

These bad credit marks won’t deter you get cheap auto loans any more. With a decent job you can get your car financed any time. However, you may need to pay a higher rate for this.

And always do some research about the lender before purchasing the loan. Deal with a reputed auto loan company and read the terms and conditions carefully before signing the contract. Ask as many questions as you can and make sure you understand the policy very well.

April 25, 2008 Posted by georgleon | Credit Score, Personal Finance | , , , | 8 Comments

Credit card deals with reward programs

It’s an awesome feeling to have a plastic card offering credit and additional reward programs that will benefit you while using it. You need to have a very good credit history to get the Exclusive Credit Card Deals and Perks. Different credit card companies will do promotional programs so that their customers can make the maximum use of the cards. If you have credit card perks, then you will like to use them too.

Always maintain your good credit rating. You will be the best candidate to get exclusive credit card deals and perks. Compare with different companies and see which one is the best option for you. Read the associated costs on the credit card to make sure that you are working with the right company.

Be aware of the credit card scams on the internet. Always do your thorough research before applying for new credit. There are so many companies offering exclusive credit card deals and perks. They will give you shiny cash back plastic with a zero percent APR on balance transfers and some gorgeous percentage of cash back. If you know how to use your credit properly, you will make the best use of this card.

Make sure that you check the terms and conditions of the credit card company. Review their late fee charges and the interest rates. Most companies offer a grace period in case you have missed paying within the due date. Check the grace period for sure. If this credit card company doesn’t offer you any grace period, then you should be looking for another company. It can be well assumed that they want make money in fees and it can be pretty high. Don’t fall into any trap. Understand each and every line of the fine print and if you have any questions, clarify it with the credit card company’s customer care. They will explain you all the conditions.

When the credit card company makes an introductory offer, it should have a specific time frame for which it will last. You will get the exclusive credit card deals and perks in that timeframe. The moment the period is over, the interest rates will go high. If you spend too much on your card and don’t pay back within the offer period, then your credit profile will get messed up. Stay upfront with your credit grantor, you will figure out the best deals in your favor.

April 20, 2008 Posted by georgleon | Credit Card, Credit Score, Personal Finance | , | 8 Comments

Don’t Pay Full Price at the Pump

The next time you go to the pump and fill up your car, try and remember that there are ways around not paying full price. Yes, the way of saving is legal and anyone with decent credit can do it. How does it work you might add? It’s simple, it’s called a gas credit card.

Gas credit cards work like any other regular credit card but they focus more on giving you gas rewards. Depending on what kind of credit card you apply for, it will depend on what you’ll be able to save.

Generally, if you apply for a gas station only credit card, you’ll find that your savings will be a little bit more than a cash back card that gives you rewards on everything.

What kind of gas credit card you should apply for?

When you’re doing your research, figure out if you want to go to only one gas station in your area or have a card that can be used anywhere. Keep in mind that with the sole gas card that can only be used at one gas station will save you a little bit more money. Studies show that a gas card for one gas station will give you about five percent compared to a card that can be used anywhere which will give you about three percent.

The next time you fill up at the pump, think of this little article and know that you could possibly be saving a few cents per gallon. It will all add up in the long run!

March 15, 2008 Posted by georgleon | Credit Card, Personal Finance | , , | 13 Comments

New Efforts Underway to Avert Foreclosures

With the American housing market experiencing its worst downturn in 16 years, foreclosure rates continue to be a major concern. It has been said that the housing market is in a deep recession—although, so far at least, the crisis has not led to a full-scale economic recession nationwide.

Housing experts say they expect continued decreases in home prices, home sales, and new construction during the short term. By the end of 2008, the U.S. could be recording massive foreclosures—as many as 2 million.

The reasons are many. For instance, home values are falling, producing quite a strain on homeowners. In addition, in many cases, homeowners are seeing a substantial rise in their monthly mortgage payments because of readjustments in interest rates. In some cases, homeowners could see a rise of as much as $300 a month in mortgage payments. Likewise, economic conditions are worsening because of a soft job market and hard new lending standards.

President George W. Bush has called the housing market “challenged.” The President believes part of the prescription for curing the ailing housing market is keeping taxes low. Meanwhile, some members of Congress are pushing for a bailout plan to alleviate the troubles within the housing industry.

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) has introduced a measure that would permit bankruptcy courts to change the repayment terms on mortgages for primary residences. Some experts believe the plan could enable more than a half a million homeowners to remain in their homes. They would be permitted to pay their mortgages over longer terms at lower interest rates or lower principal balances.

It’s unclear, however, whether the plan will win the support of the Bush Administration. Some concerns have been raised that changing mortgage terms in bankruptcy could threaten the standing of other contracts. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve has indicated it’s prepared to do everything possible to prevent the housing crisis from leading to a nationwide economic recession.

March 12, 2008 Posted by georgleon | Personal Finance, mortgage | | 8 Comments

Debt Consolidation is a Simple Way to Get out of Credit Card Debt

One of the simplest ways to solve your problem of overwhelming credit card debt is though debt consolidation. With the economy struggling, it is becoming more and more common for people to acquire uncontrollable amounts of debt. Credit card bills are often the main problems, partially because of their very high interest rates. Many times, people can only pay back the interest, which doesn’t help with the initial debt.

Between student loans and credit card debt, the average household has debt of $8000. This, when paying high interest, causes major budget problems every month. Credit card debt consolidation is the solution.

What actually is the problem?

A big problem arises when someone tries to pay one credit card bill with another. It may seem like a good short term solution, but it actually puts them farther into debt very quickly. Many people fall for the low interest APR credit card without understanding the real rate!

Debt consolidation can help, but it will not instantly solve all problems. It will help make the effort of getting out of debt easier, but it will not eliminate all debts owed immediately. It will still take discipline and time to meet your goal, but at least it becomes possible.

You can reduce credit card debt through a debt consolidation program in the following ways. First, do not take on any additional debt. Be very careful to avoid buying things that are not absolutely necessary. And, for the things that are necessary, you should find ways to get discounts on them through coupons, sales, etc.

Next, talk to a debt consolidation company about your specific situation to see if they can lower your monthly payment, interest rate, or even the balance that you owe. They can give you one monthly payment instead of the variety that you have.

By watching what you spend and consolidating your debt you will be on your way to a debt free life. The emotional freedom that you’ll feel when you see that you are making progress is very rewarding. You will begin to feel free again.

March 6, 2008 Posted by georgleon | Credit Card, Debt Consolidation, Debt Settlement, Personal Finance | , , | 2 Comments

Lenders Rush To Cut Rates

The Bank of England’s latest rate cut on Thursday send mortgage lenders into a frenzy of mortgage rate cuts – great news for borrowers.

On the afternoon of the rate cut nine out of the top ten lenders had said that they would pass on the full rate cut to borrowers. Of the top ten lenders, only Northern Rock did not shift its rates – and that can’t be a great surprise in the bank’s situation.

The banks’ alacrity to cut rates contrasts sharply with the attitude taken after the last BoE rate cut in December. Since that cut many banks and building societies failed to pass on the full cut, and some rates were even raised before the February cut. Some 20% of lenders failed to pass on the full December decrease.

On a mortgage of £150,000 the rate cut of 0.25% will save £24 on monthly repayments.

Mortgage expert from broker John Charcol, Ray Boulger, said: “They have rushed to deflect any criticism.”

Lower mortgages will come as welcome relief to those consumers who benefit, as other bills show little sign of coming down. Fuel, energy and food bills are all likely to push up the rate of inflation in the coming months.

Mike Naylor of the comparison website uSwitch.com said: “The rate cut could still be too little, too late, for some. People are currently paying out 35% of their take-home pay on remortgage repayments, and ten million consumers already feel that their current level of overall debt is unmanageable.”

The mortgage rates cut will unfortunately help only a minority of borrowers, about 20%, who have a mortgage with a variable interest rate. Around half of all homeowners have a fixed-rate loan which will not be affected. Anyone who recently fixed their mortgage at 5.5% or higher will be a loser at this time.

The widely forecast rate cut will also not be good news for savers, who outnumber borrowers by about eight to one.

February 13, 2008 Posted by georgleon | mortgage | , | 2 Comments

Happy New Year

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January 1, 2008 Posted by georgleon | misc. | | 4 Comments