For those of you who never borrowed money, you probably see that as a huge step in life and a scary responsability. Loans to you means a house in the suburbs, a large family and a Volvo! Forget about this cliche and learn about all the different types of loans that can help you throughout your life. Whether you need a small or big investment, whether your project seems crazy or is a usual everyday life need, you can meet someone ready to help you financially! Loans come in different ways: mortgages, to buy a house or finance the building of your dream house. Credit cards, to pay for your everyday bills and shopping; or even auto loans, to buy a car. So it can be a big amount of money lent to you in one time or simply a certain sum transferred on your account every month. In any case, it will prove very useful and even unavoidable but it also means that you will have to be very careful with your money and keep an eye on your buget as you will have to pay the money back plus interests! Interest is a percentage of the sum that the broker or the bank (the person who granted the loan) will perceive every month from your loan...well, you cannot expect to get money for free! The percentage of interest rate will depend on the lender, and can often be variable, which means that the rate changes every month according to the market, and so do your monthly installments! It can be in your favor but it is still risky as the rate may increase suddenly and you would probably find it difficult to give more money to your lender every month.
When you need money, you don't have that many choices: you can arrange a meeting with your bank, most of them can grant loans and they know your financial situation and sometimes even know yourself pretty well. Some banks just offer mortgages, they are called mortgage bankers, and are private firms, like Countrywide Home Loans or Wells Fargo Mortgage; in that case, the latter is not associated with a bank at all but just grants loans. The companies that own the big money are called wholesale lenders: they gather huge amounts of money from investors and send it then to mortgage brokers, who are professionals that you can actually meet. Mortgage brokers add on their fee on the loan so that they can make a living. Some wholesale lenders have their own retail branches and do not go through a mortgage broker; however, whatever solution you choose, the fees and interest rates will be sensibly the same, with slight differences. If you need a mortgage to finance your house, you can go through accredited home lenders. Accredited home lenders are specialized in home loans and offer a wide range of mortgages that you can choose from. They will suggest to you which loan suits you best and which one you are eligible to. You can't get any loan just by signing a piece of paper, they have to judge how stable your situation is, and if you are considered solvent, if you can pay back without any problems if you prefer. They will also calculate your debt-to-income ratio, which is simply the percentage of your monthly income that is used to pay your monthly debts. If you buy a house for example, this implies you will have to spend a lot of money every month: bills, taxes, insurance, mortgage, interest, mortgage insurance...Debt-to-income ratio is one of the guidelines that will decide what amount of money can be granted to you, and to which interest. To be granted a safe mortgage, that is a mortgage you will be able to pay back quite easily, you have to meet the prime standards defined by your broker and by certain rules. However, if you do not meet these criteria you can still be granted a subprime mortgage.
If you do not have the chance to meet these standards because of your low income or bad credit, you can find it hard to get a loan. Still, subprime lenders are here to help you. Subprime lenders are ready to take more risks and grant you a loan even if you don't seem really solvent. They will of course charge you a higher interest because the risk of you not paying back is higher. However, this is a totally legal practice and many people resort to it. Subprime mortgages are also called ( second chance lending) , as they give a second chance to families who find it hard to finance their project. Many banks and brokers offer these kind of loans and it works the same way as regular loans. Talk to a professional now to see what kind of loan you can be granted and don't hesitate, there are mortgages for everyone!