Why Unsecured Personal Loans Are A Viable Consolidation Loan Option

Feb 4
10:42

2013

Devora Witts

Devora Witts

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Multiple loans create financial headaches when managing monthly finances. The best route to clearing them is with consolidation loans, and an increasing number of lenders are approving unsecured personal loans for the purpose.

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Having several loans to repay at once can create a real headache. Consolidating these loans into one single debt is a proven constructive way to manage the situation,Why Unsecured Personal Loans Are A Viable Consolidation Loan Option Articles and getting an unsecured personal loan as a consolidation loan is one way to accomplish this.Of course, it is widely accepted that to get loan approval without security is something of a challenge, but it is not as difficult as many think. There are factors that make approval more attractive to lenders, not least knowing the purpose is to improve a financial situation, not for personal fun.There are clear criteria that applicants must meet before there is any chance of the lender approving unsecured loans. But as long as these criteria are satisfied, the right lender is likely to give the green light.What is Debt Consolidation?The basic concept behind debt consolidation is to gather all of the existing debts together into one sum, and then clear them with one loan. The loan used is referred to as a consolidation loan, and unsecured personal loans are now more commonly used for the purpose.The advantage of clearing debt in this manner is pretty straightforward. With multiple loans, there is more than one interest rate, more than one monthly repayment sum and more than one balance to worry about. When these are added together, the monthly outgoing on loans alone can be very high.Of course, getting large loan approval without security is a challenge, but when it is to be used to clear existing debts in a constructive manner, lenders are more open to the idea. One unsecured loan with one interest rate, and crucially paid over a longer term, can greatly lower monthly financial obligations.Why Unsecured Loans Are AcceptableA personal loan can be either unsecured or secured, but lenders have a very different view on both. Secured loans are loans with collateral provided as a form of compensation should the borrower default on the loan. However, unsecured personal loans offer no chance of compensation.For lenders, this means that they face a greater risk of losing on their investment, and as a result, interest rates are higher than those charged on secured loans. Also, the loan limit is typically lower to protect them against large losses. In contrast, the secured loans can be as big as the collateral provided.Getting large loan approval without security involves a lot of convincing, so it might seem strange that lenders are willing to grant such loans in the first place. But it is worth noting that as a consolidation loan, an unsecured loan is still a practical option.What Terms to Look Out ForHowever, there is no escaping the fact that an unsecured personal loan is to be used for consolidation, and with that fact, higher interest rates will be charged. But it is essential that the interest paid on the consolidation loan are lower than the total interest paid on the original loans. Loan approval without security needs to be a good deal, not just any deal.For example, if there are 5 individual loans, with repayments of $450, $400, $300, $250 and $150, then a total of $1,550 is paid each month. The combined balance of the loans could be $45,000.An unsecured loan of $45,000 can clear these debts, but with a competitive interest rate and a loan term of 10 years, the monthly repayments can be just $425 - creating savings of $1,125 and making a huge difference to the finances of the borrower.