Getting a Cheap Loan & Improving Your Credit Rating to Ensure Your Loan is Competitive

Securing a Cheap Loan

With the current financial crisis constraining the amount of money banks presently lend due to the amount of capital reserves they require to satisfy regulating bodies, credit is not flowing as freely as it once was. Whilst London Inter-Bank Offering Rates (LIBOR) have dropped over the past year simple supply and demand is making loans less affordable at a time when they should technically be at their lowest levels. Basically the present   demand is high from the residential and business loan sectors, however the recent stress test revealed that capital reserves need to mitigate such crisis being sparked again, thus forcing banks to further reign in their lending.

One way of reigning in that lending is by lending money to people with superior credit ratings. By getting yourself a credit check you substantially improve your chances of securing a loan that you require whether it be for home improvements, car finance, or even a holiday. Don’t forget that making an application for credit goes against your score so ensure that your credit rating is in a suitable position prior application, otherwise you could further damage your chances for future loans and credit such as mortgages, gym memberships, mobile phones etc…

Businesses and consumers simply want to know what that means to them and why the loans at present are not as cheap as they should be!

The money markets and LIBOR rate dictate the rate at which banks lend to one another, and even with what appears the bottom of the recession being hit lenders are still cautious on who they lend to and for what period of time. So even though you see the Bank of England Base Rate set by the Monetary Policy Committee set currently at 0.5% this does not mean your rate will be anything near this as wider economic factor influence that rate that filters down through to consumers and businesses.

Before Applying for the Loan

Even before you apply for a loan get a credit check to determine if you would even be considered by the lender, as a meaningless application could further hinder you rating and make future loans difficult to attain.

What if my Credit Rating is poor?

If your credit rating is poor there are a number of ways to improve your score prior your application for credit here are a brief few things you can do.

  • Clear CCJ’s.
  • Ensure you are on the Electoral Register
  • Time your application well – moving house can be a factor.
  • Clear previous debts & use expensive high rate credit cards (Just for one month).
  • Never miss a payment.
  • Check your address on all active accounts.

How do I get a Cheap Loan

Using loan comparison sites can help you compare secured and unsecured loans, credit cards, prepaid cards and payday loans, but these sites don’t always display all caveats. Remember its not just the rate that will make the loan cheap for yourself. More companies seem to be using set up fees and early repayment charges to earn extra money from those who only require a loan over the short term. Please consider the following:

  • You need to compare the APR to determine the true cost of the loan.
  • Look into the ability to make overpayment’s without penalty charges, as this will substantially reduce the capital owed, further reducing the interest paid, meaning your loan cost has been reduced.
  • Check for lenders who are willing to match or even beat rates on the high street in order to attain your custom, after all they are still competing for your custom.
  • Limit the amount you need to borrow on high APR – don’t just use one source, couple an interest free credit card with a higher APR loan if that is all that’s available as one will offset the other.

Getting a loan over a certain amount can sometimes be more beneficial than getting a smaller loan due to administration charges and other governing factors, so bear this in mind when applying for a loan [http://www.loanrunner.co.uk/loans], therefore it can be cheaper to get a larger loan and then simply make an overpayment offset the induced interest.