Posts Tagged ‘Unsecured Debt’

Debt Management Programs Destroy Your Credit Rating

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011


A debt management company is where an individual turns when they feel too overwhelmed by their debt. They are looking to debt management because they are hanging on by the skin of their teeth or they have already fallen off the wagon. They can’t make their payments with their current income, so they have to find something other than bankruptcy that can relieve the issue.

When they turn to debt management, they may find that there are a number of services that are offered. The first of those programs is debt consolidation. This involves taking out a loan that consolidates all unsecured debt into one payment. For example, unsecured personal loans and credit cards can be combined. The interest rate can be lower and the payment can be lower than what all of the separate payments were before.

However, you have to be careful because this can have an impact on your credit rating in a number of ways. It is true that the idea behind debt consolidation is to keep your credit rating in tact, but you have to keep some things in mind.

Your credit rating

When it comes to debt consolidation, some people make the mistake of closing their accounts. It is actually not wise to close accounts for the fact that this lowers the amount of available credit that you have to your name. One of the things that contribute to your credit score is how much of your available credit you are using. If you have open accounts with balances of $0, that will have a positive impact. However, if you close your accounts and you have a debt consolidation loan that has no available credit, this can be harmful to your credit score.

Even if you’re not using debt consolidation and you are using another type of debt management, there may be a negative impact on your credit score. For example, you may not be able to take out a debt consolidation loan, so you need a debt management company to negotiate lower interest rates and a lower payment with your creditors. They may also be able to lower the amount of the debt. When this is done, this can affect your credit score negatively.

How does it help?

However, the repercussions that come with debt management are much less than that of bankruptcy. The consequences of debt management may last a period of three years, but bankruptcy can last ten years or more. So this is something that you should weigh when looking for a way to get out of your financial situation.

As for the benefits that you will experience in the present time, you will find that you will have more money in your pocket. Better yet, you can take that money and deposit it within a savings account. That way when you get back on your feet after your debt management program, you are able to have money in the bank that can help you out of a tough situation later on.

Nevertheless, you will have to work on building your credit back up after a debt management program. This means you’ll have to use your credit and make on-time payments. This is one reason why you don’t want to close accounts. You can take an existing account, charge a little on it, and then pay it off before your due date each month. This will allow the creditor to report positive marks on your credit report. This will also raise your score. Most of all, having to go through a debt management program can help you learn a very valuable lesson. After that, you shouldn’t find yourself having credit problems again.

By: Amy Nutt

Debt Consolidation – How to Easily Get Out of Debt Without The Need to File For Bankruptcy

Saturday, December 11th, 2010



Simply living off credit cards and other credit lines can lead to your unsecured debt amounts rising to much higher and unmanageable levels.

Exceeding your credit line in your spending or shopping will also put you in an insecure position hence plunging you into more debts, that will take much longer time or even years to settle. While you might want to consider filing for bankruptcy, it may harm your personal credit, as it will appear on all your credit reports for some years. This means you can not get loans or even mortgages, as long as the bankruptcy still persists in your credit reports, which in essence puts you in financial ruin. Are you willing to take that risk?

Still you have a choice to consolidate all your unsecured debt. While it is not easy to quickly get out of debt, there are ways for debt reduction;

- If you have a personal car and live in a big city, try selling your car, carpooling with your friends, or alternatively using public transport means when commuting. Think of how much money it can save you on car maintenance, insurance, gas and car payments, to use to settle your outstanding debts.

- Consult debt management or settlement agencies or make a call and negotiate with your creditor or credit card company for lower interest rates on your loan.

- Take good care of your health and avoid bad habits that may lead to medical complications, hence landing you in hospital. Good medicare is quite costly.

- Consider living within your means. Find cheaper accommodation, housing or maybe even a roommate to share in your rent payments. Though housing prices vary dramatically, make sure the cost of moving houses does not exceed your daily or monthly savings.

- Limit use of your credit cards when paying for everything. Try paying hard cash to avoid overspending. Paying with a credit card only makes your purchase much more expensive.

- Learn how to cook and minimize your eat out sessions to cut your spending. Also consider lowering your monthly utility bills by prudent use of your electricity and water supply.

- Make a good budget of whatever you purchase to track down how and on what you spend your finances. Think twice before you buy anything. Critically ask yourself, do I really need this thing?

- If you lack money and want to buy something you feel you can not do without, consider getting a second job or find ways make some additional money to supplement your income first before you buy it. Don’t spend what you don’t have.

- Making minimum payments due on your credit card will not get you out of debt any time soon. Pay the much you can but ensure it is at least twice the minimum due. Depending on your credit amount and interest rate, it may take you some years to pay it off.

Finally, it may be wise to consider consolidating your debt with reputable non-governmental organizations, with proper financial arrangements with every unsecured lender or bank in your country.

Such organizations will take over your debt and apply rate concessions, even actually reducing your interest rate to zero percentage point. As a consumer, you will pay considerably less monthly payments to the non-profit organization. There really is no need to file for bankruptcy.

Take action now and get assistance to help you in settling your unsecured debt. A simple way to your financial success and credit relief is by enrolling with such non-profit organizations with emphasis on credit relief and debt reduction.

If you are a student having a hard time repaying your loans, consult a debt consolidator. There really is no need for you to continue languishing in debts while there are ready solutions for your financial hardships.

By: Bernard W Okoth

All About Debt Consolidation Loans

Monday, July 5th, 2010



Debt consolidation loans are loans that are used to pay off existing debts and in the process merge the debts into a single loan. Debt consolidation loans are therefore useful for people whose debts have spiraled out of control and who need to simplify their finances.

It has never been easier to obtain both secured and unsecured debt. These days there are thousands of lenders willing to issue various forms of debt – such as store cards, credit cards, and personal loans – to all kinds of borrowers.

Lenders seem willing to lend money to almost anybody in today’s economy and even people with adverse credit histories are not automatically excluded from applying for many different types of credit.

While this can seem positive, it can lead to situations where borrowers who are unable to manage their finances properly are successful in obtaining large amounts of debt. This is, of course, not a good situation for a borrower to find themselves in and it is becoming more common as lenders’ continue to loosen their lending criteria.

Individuals who overextend their borrowings can find themselves in situations where they have store cards, credit cards, car loans, personal loans etc from a variety of lenders. Each of the individual debts will require the borrower to make monthly payments towards the balance of the loans and the interest charged on them, which can cause havoc to their personal finances.

Not only can the overall amount of money due each month be too much for the borrower to pay, the sheer number of payments due can be difficult to manage and budget for especially if the payments are due at different times of the month.

This is where debt consolidation loans can help. If the borrower feels that their finances are out of control and they wish to only make one payment towards their loans each month, they should consider debt consolidation loans as an alternative to managing their debts on an individual basis.

There are several different forms of debt consolidation loans, including secured and unsecured, and the product that will suit each borrower’s requirements will depend on their individual circumstances.

Details of the borrower’s personal situation will need to be assessed and matched to the criteria for the various debt consolidation loans available on the market at the time of application. These details will include the borrower’s employment situation, whether they are a home owner or a renter, and whether or not they suffer from any bad credit.

If you wish to receive expert advice on debt consolidation loans, contact an independent mortgage advisor today.

By: Michael Sterios