Student Loan Tips

Personal loan rates have reached their highest level for over a decade; comparison website moneyfacts.co.uk revealed that the average rate for a £5,000 loan has risen to 12.7%, a massive jump from the all time low of 7.8% back in 2006.

Lenders are only obliged to offer their best rates to half of successful applicants, the other half can be faced with rates topping 30%. Moneyfacts.co.uk spokesperson, Michelle Slade, points out that it could be a good idea to check some different lenders; ‘with £1,194 difference between the cheapest and most expensive £5,000 loan, shopping around is key.’ It may surprise a lot of people that the best place to turn to is not the banks – which most would consider their first stop, RBS, Halifax and Barclays offer a rate of 20.9% on a £5,000 loan – payable over three years. A better offer could come from the local supermarket, for example; Sainsbury’s best rate currently sits at 8.2%, that’s not pocket change for most people, and worth considering.

Do you need a holiday loan or a car loan?

The recent payment protection scandal has hit banks hard, with the estimated cost to the industry standing at around £10billion. Judgements demanding that banks pay compensation to customers who were mis-sold payment protection insurance brought an end to pocketing extra money from personal loans and other products. Over 3million people are expected to claim money back for policies sold dishonestly – if they didn’t need or want insurance, or even if they didn’t realise they had been sold it to begin with. Ms Slade mentions this, saying ‘A few years ago, lenders offset low loan rates by recouping revenue through payment protection insurance, but recent judgements mean this is no longer possible.’ Lenders are now much more cautious about authorising cheap credit, as more borrowers are defaulting of payments – and there are no ways for them to recoup their losses.

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However, customers looking for the best deal should remember that filling out multiple applications could hurt your chances of being accepted. It could damage your credit rating if you don’t do some research first, in order to ensure your eligibility for a loan.

For more information about secured loans and how they can help you and your circumstances visit www.securedloans.com

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