If you are a current or former student with school loans, you have probably been bombarded with mailed and online solicitations to consolidate your debt. The loan application process can seem overwhelming, particularly if you have more than a couple of loans issued from a number of lenders. However, it is generally simple and straightforward if you are prepared. Here is a brief overview of what you can expect when you decide to consolidate your student loans.

First, you will need to choose a lender. There are many to choose from, but, in general, it’s smart to stick to a well-established financial institution. These lenders will have a variety of payment plans and discounts, and they will be less likely to sell your loan to another lender in the future. There should never be a charge or fee for consolidating student loans. As well, a lender should not need to check your credit because Federal student loans are guaranteed by the U.S. government.

Next, you will need to fill out an application. Remember to gather all information on existing loans prior to filling out your application. Also, you will need to supply personal references. Before you sign your name on the application, make sure that you clearly understand the terms of the new loan. Ask about incentives and discounts that can help reduce your payment. Many lenders have downloadable forms and online calculators to determine the amount you will pay with your new loan.

Once you have submitted your completed application, the lender will send each of your loan holders a Loan Verification Certificate (LVC) to verify the amount owed on each of your Federal student loans. You can expect that your existing lenders will take up to 30 days to return the LVCs. Once these certificates are processed, the interest rate will be calculated and a disclosure statement is prepared. Checks will be issued to your lenders to pay off your loans, and your new consolidated loan will be issued.

This entire process can take between 30 to 180 days to complete, and if information is missing from your application, it can take even longer. Most lenders have customer service representatives who will gladly keep you updated on the status of your loan application. Remember to continue to pay on your existing loans while your application is being processed. You will be financially responsible for these loans until the new lender has paid off them in full.

Finally, keep in mind that interest rates on student loans are adjusted annually every July 1st. This year, rates will be increasing 2.1 percent. You can be assured of the lower rate if you submit a completed application early. Don’t wait until the end of June to start the process.

While consolidating student loans can be a time consuming task, with a little advanced preparation and research you can complete your application with minimal effort. And, once your new loan is processed, you will most certainly be thrilled with your lower payments.

The offset mortgage has gained recognition as a mortgage type that allows “savers” to save money on their mortgage loan each month. If one can save enough money, they will be able to offset the mortgage to the point where interest payments are next to nothing- quickly shortening the mortgage term.

Your average offset mortgage loan works by allowing the borrower only pay interest on the money owed, minus any funds present in a savings account. A savings account with as much as $25,000 in it can greatly influence the interest rate you pay, and thus, lower the term life of the loan.

Self employed workers are constantly in a bind when it comes to the mortgage industry. One way a self employed person may seek a mortgage is to get an offset mortgage, yet having a large savings account to prove to a lender that you are able to make payments and knock interest rates down. Offset mortgages in this sense will allow business owners and temporary workers to get mortgages where they otherwise wouldn’t.

You should have a good history of saving your money before even considering the offset mortgage. Offset mortgage loans will not help you in the slightest if you don’t have a good amount of savings in your account at all times. This is because lenders tack on higher interest rates to offset mortgages due to their nature, meaning you won’t save any money at all if you don’t keep enough in your savings account to offset higher rates.

Studies show that borrowers who are signed on with an offset mortgage are more motivated to make extra payments each month, or put more money into their savings account. This is because there is the incentive of shortening the term of the mortgage with each single dollar put towards savings. It also allows for the consumer to build up a massive “rainy day” fund that will come in handy if there is even an unexpected accident or home repair needed.

The offset mortgage loan industry is not so prevalent in the United States, but rather in eastern nations such as the United Kingdom. Even though this is true, one may be able to find one at select lenders or by using Internet lending as a source of mortgage loans. Internet lenders may be quickly sized up and compared thanks to new web applications, so you can get contact information for the most compatible offer in as little as ten minutes.

In Conclusion

Offset mortgages definitely have their place- but they are not to be misused. With the wrong person, they may be misused and lead to debt quicker than other forms of loans. Lenders should be able to hold a conference to determine if they are a good fit for you.

Learn more on Offset Mortgage UK Deals and Offset Mortgage UK.

Buying a house or a property on a mortgage was thought of as a headache in the earlier days because of the insurmountable pressure it puts on the borrower to pay the interest and the principal within the stipulated time. But things have changed a lot these days with the arrival of the concept of refinancing where people can modify their mortgages. Before you jump into any agreement of refinancing there are several things that you will need to understand concerning this concept. To tell you more, I’ve got an explicit and a transparent article on refinancing.

THE CONCEPT:

The concept behind refinancing is to help the debtors in the better way. And how will this idea help them? It is very simple. If you have an existing mortgage and if you’re finding it very difficult to pay the dues and the interests on time, then you’ll very well go for refinancing. Whenever you refinance your existing mortgage, a brand new mortgage can be signed with newer interest rates and mortgage period. Therefore, if you prefer paying lower monthly installments than the present installment you’re paying; then refinancing is the best choice (of course, the amount of mortgage can be increased considerably than the older mortgage).

ADVANTAGES:

The concept of refinancing not only applies to reducing your monthly installments, but also to increase the installments, i.e. if your financial status is sort of good at present and prefers to shut the mortgage as early as possible; then this versatile refinancing concept can be utilized. The largest advantage with refinancing is paying lower interest rates. Yes, you would have signed a mortgage at a particular interest rate and paying the identical amount throughout. But you pay the same amounts even when the interest rates go down in the market. Thus, this idea helps all those to redeem all their precious money in line with the changing market. Refinancing can be very well done if the interest rates are under your existing mortgage.

POINTS:

Another important issue that every individual should be aware concerning refinancing is that the term referred to as “points”. Points are nothing but one percent of the whole mortgage of the property. Thus, whenever you choose refinancing the lender would demand you three points i.e. the percent of the mortgage fee as an upfront for signing the new mortgage. This upfront fee isn’t the least bit of a problem because some lenders do offer sure flexibility to the debtors by not demanding the upfront at all.

TYPES:

There are two types of refinancing i.e. the No-Closing Cost refinancing and Cash-Out refinancing. The No-Closing Cost refinancing is the normal and the most widely followed concept where the debtors are asked to provide upfront for their new agreement. The Cash-out refinancing is a very useful choice for all those people who don’t have problems with the installments. In this type, the lender will pay the borrower an increased sum as a loan i.e. if the mortgage of that individual property is $3000 then the lender will pay you $4000. The extra $1000 can be used in line with your wish.

Another great article by Maitland Real Estate

A flexible mortgage is a type of mortgage prevalent in European countries. It is a bit more dynamic than the conventional mortgage found in the United States, in that it allows borrowers to pay what they can each billing cycle.

The minimum payment on a flexible mortgage is often just the interest owed for that time period. Since interest payments don’t total to a substantial amount of money, even large financial disasters will not mean you lose your home in the wake of instability. This is ideal for the self employed business owners of the world, as well as contract workers who have temporary work.

Remember that only paying the minimum interest payment is not a good plan for you financially. It will only put away fears of a foreclosure- it won’t allow you to make progress on paying off your mortgage. Months in which are paid as minimum will essentially add another month onto the mortgage term- if not more! Therefore, one should use the flexible mortgage responsibly if you wish to pay off your mortgage according to the original plan.

A variable rate on a flexible mortgage is the norm. Variable rates will fluctuate with the market, so you will always have a rate that is in check with inflation and economic conditions. Fixed rates are the better route if you think that the current market conditions are at the lowest point possible. In times where lenders are jumping over hurdles to get borrowers signed on, pushing for a fixed rate is easy.

If you have exceptional credit you might be able to apply for payment holidays as well. These “holidays” are simply payment periods in which you are able to skip. There are some limitations in how you can do such a thing, and how often, but it’s a great “Plan B” when money becomes scarce. Payment holidays also extend the life of the loan and the total interest paid, so use them sparingly if at all.

A good credit rating is required for flexible mortgages. That’s because flexible mortgage loans are so easily abused by those who have a poor history of responsible financial decisions. If you would wish it, you could get by only making minimal interest payments indefinitely. It might allow you to get by and have fun, but it would ultimately put you in more debt than you could imagine.

Closing Comments

When used correctly, the flexible mortgage loan has a great package to offer new families. You can go to a lender and get approved before you start your real estate hunt by calling in or using the Internet to fill out a mortgage application.

Learn more on Flexible Mortgages and Flexible Mortgages UK.

If you are using a credit card then its not unusual to have debt with it. Many people use more than a single card and thus the chances are that they have quite a bit of debt built up with those cards. And there are those who prefer to max out on each card and pay only the minimum, while they can still afford to do so. In fact, sometimes its a fact that credit card debt is further financed by a new credit card – making the application for another card only to be able to keep paying the minimum balance of all the other cards.

So what happens when all your cards are maxed out? What happens when you’ve applied for a number of credit cards and you have reached the hilt on them all, only this time when you apply for another you are rejected? Well, some people cut up their cards or shred them in a way that they hope that all the debt disappears just like the card just did. Others put those cards in a place where they hope they cannot find them. Again though, this will not ultimately help matters at all – its too late.

What to do if you are either in this position or getting fairly near to it? I suggest the first thing is to take stock. Sit down and write down precisely how much debt you have, who you owe money to and what amount. This way you are not now avoiding the problem and you are starting to face up to the fact you need to do something about it. It may not seem like much to do this – sit and note down your debt, but it is, actually. Its a big step in the right direction – the direction you will have to take sooner or later and the sooner the better.

Okay, so what can we do to improve things? There are a number of ways to make progress depending on your circumstance. One is consolidation. This is where you take out a loan or get a credit card where you can transfer all other balances to. Thus you are getting a nicely competitive interest rate on this one loan and also its much easier to manage. Pay one bill each month rather than 5 or 6 or however many you do currently. Another method to handle this scenario is to take the most expensive credit card and target that one above all others for making the largest payments to. Its a psychological boost as well as financially sensible move to make. Other than this you can simply target the card with the smallest outstanding balance and pay that off first. It may not seem like a sensible move but its a real psychological bonus to have cleared the first credit cards balance in full. Motivation is key to success here so its a case of tackling things not only in the best financial way but also in a way that makes you feel a bit better.

There are many ways to progress even when your own debt seems insurmountable. If this is the case its wise to seek some professional help. DO not bury your head in the sand and think it will all go away. It does not just go away. But if you tackle it head on, often with the help of a professional, then yes, it will go away for sure!

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