These days many people can
get into a bad credit situation if they do not keep track of their income and expenses.
Still many of them find themselves being offered credit cards by various credit card companies.
Those who are conscious of their credit standing will find a credit card that suits their needs, sign up, keep
track of their purchases, pay off credit card bills in full each month, and ignore offers from other companies.
There are others who may be dazzled by all the credit and easily end up making lots of
purchases on credit which they may use or cannot afford. Usually, they pay the minimum payment on their cards.
Then one day, they may wake up with the realization of the enormity of their bills. This is when they will be
needing debt consolidation loans to get out of a bad credit situation.
What Is Debt
Consolidation?
Debt consolidation simply means replacing multiple loans with just one that bears lower interest rates than the original loan. That is why it is called
“consolidated.”
To put it simply, debt consolidation means turning bad debts into good ones. It can be several unsecured loans
converted into a secured one against an asset that serves as a collateral. Again that is why it is called secured
loan.
Most commonly, that asset securing the loan is the fellow’s house. In this case, a mortgage is secured against
the house.
By using the equity in your house, he can now pay off those high interest rate credit cards that would have been
paid off by just paying the minimum payment. In most cases, overall monthly payment is lower after refinancing it
through the mortgage.
After the debt consolidation, that person will just have one mortgage (think one creditor only).
This new loan pays all current debt, gives you cash and enables him to save money because of the reduced
amortization. A word of caution, however, is emphasized.
Sometimes refinancing companies take advantage on their clients by charging very high service fees bordering on
the state maximum limit on mortgage fees.
In addition, some unscrupulous refinancing companies will lurk on their preys waiting for their clients to be in
a worst financial strait so if they do not refinance they may lose their houses.
At this stage, they will be willing to pay any allowable fee just to have their debts consolidated.
Although the monthly fee can be lower, the total amount repaid is always higher due to the longer period of the
refinanced mortgage.
To estimate the pros and cons, it is suggested to use the financial calculator.
There are other alternatives to debt consolidation loan where unsecured loan is converted into secured ones but is
eliminated through a settlement or payment plan.
Debt consolidation can be confusing. It is advised to consult a reputable company or trusted advisor.
Remember these are loans secured by mortgages with no credit check to repair bad credit.