Personal loan rates are increasing in the UK. This is either an attempt by the banks to stem any further losses from the recent credit crunch or it is in place to cover the possible risks of lending to people already in debt who may be struggling already.
Loan rates have increased by something like 0.5 per cent in the last 3 months alone and so borrowing money with an unsecured loan will cost you far more today than it did before Christmas.
People thinking about consolidating their debts with a loan should seriously consider the affordability but especially when banks are increasing the costs of borrowing seemingly every month. Certainly a good point to consider would be applying for only a fixed rate product so that you can guarantee no further interest rate rises will affect the repayments on your loan, costing you less in the long run.
Also consider the fact that you may be able, in the future, to repay your loan in full. Make sure the loan product has no early redemption penalties where you are penalised with a fee or further interest charges for repaying your loan in full before the term of the loan.
Of course there is no guarantee that your loan application will be accepted, if you have recently applied for a loan and have not been successful it might be best to ask yourself why? Can you really afford the repayments? What if you loose your job? And so on…
If you are insistent on getting a loan then you must bear in mind that the riskier a potential customer you are to a bank the more it will cost you in interest and ultimately the total amount you repay.
Simon Duffy writes for the
Financial Blog a UK
Finance Blog talking about all aspects of personal finance including
loans blogs,
credit cards blogs,
tenant loans,
credit cards blogs,
mortgages blogs,
insurance blogs and more.
