Getting A Credit Card If You Have Bad Credit

March 12, 2010

If you have a bad credit score because you have defaulted on your mortgage or other loans too many times, you may despair of ever getting the credit you need again. However, there is hope. You need a bad credit credit card and indeed you can most likely get one, even if you have no credit history at all. Most adults with regular lives find that they need a credit card to make major purchases at least, so you need to make sure you can obtain a credit card. If your credit is bad, you will still benefit from getting a credit card for those with bad credit.

There is nothing to worry about if you have to apply for a bad credit credit card. It is easy. These applications work pretty much the same way as any regular credit card. Even with bad credit you should be able to get your hands on a secured credit card. With these, all you do is deposit some money in the credit card account and you are ready to use it. No-one will know that you are buying things on this type of card because they look exactly like the regular ones do. No-one but you – and anyone you may tell, of course – will be aware of the restrictions placed upon your bad card. It’s important that you familiarize yourself with the fine print on the credit card agreement for which you want to apply to make sure it suits your needs. Look out for the fees which are charged – some of them are astronomical!

Bad credit credit cards have a lot of the same pluses that any credit card does. You can still pay your bills online with these types of credit cards, get online statements on your account and have very good support from customer services. None of these things are affected just because it is not a prime credit card that you use.

These days, a lot of people enjoy the benefits of online shopping. You will need a credit card to enable you to take advantage of these convenient services. Even if you have bad credit, this perk of shopping online is available to you, with a credit card designed for those with a poor credit history.

Perhaps the best long-term advantage of getting a bad credit credit card is that it allows you to build up your credit score again so you will find it easier to borrow money and get credit in the future. This works because the credit card company will usually report to the credit bureaus on what you used your card for and how well you kept up with your repayments. If you are careful about your spending and repayments you won’t have any trouble at all building your credit score back up.

Therefore, you don’t need to worry that having a bad credit score now – or no credit score at all – will blight your chances of getting credit. A bad credit credit card makes this easy and can be a great way to build your future financial stability with a better credit score.

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Florida FHA Guidelines Loans Under 620 Credit Score, ALL DAY LONG

March 11, 2010

Florida FHA Guidelines Loans Under 620 Credit Score www.FHAmortgageFHALoan.com” target=”_blank”>www.FHAmortgageFHALoan.com”>www.FHAmortgageFHALoan.com

It is still very possible as a Florida homeowner or Florida homebuyer to purchase a Florida home with less than a 620 fico score under the following conditions:

lorida FHA Guidelines Loans Under 620 Credit Score

Purchases (Min 530 score)

  • 12 months cancelled checks or Management VOR
  • Must have 3 open and active tradelines for last 12 mths
  • Payment shock limited to 1.5 times
  • 35/45 Max DTI
  • No late’s or collection in last 12 months
  • NO late’s after BK

 Refinance’s ( Min 530  score)

o 0?30 on Mortgage

o 35/45 MAX DTI

o No cash in hand

o Tangible net benefit

o NO late’s after BK

o NO consumer lates in last 6 mths

No Score Borrowers

 3 Alt tradelines 0?30 with 12 month history

Management VOR or 12 months cancelled checks

Max ratio 31/43

NO collection other than medical

For first time home buyers and other borrowers, the FHA home loans can have key advantages:

Easy Qualification – The FHA loan insures lenders against loss for loans made to properly qualified FHA home loan borrowers. So you’re likely to find FHA mortgage loans with terms that make it easier for you to qualify.

Minimal Downpayment Requirements – FHA mortgages can work with as little as 3% down and those funds can come from a family member, charity, or your employer. Although the FHA loan does not have a zero down mortgage option yet, you will find that your 1st Continental Mortgage loan officer can point you to many Downpayment assistance programs that work well with Florida FHA home loans.

Less than A-1 Credit is Okay – The Florida FHA home loan program exists to expand the pool of home buyers. Even borrowers with prior bankruptcies or mortgage lates get approved every day for FHA mortgages to buy or Refinance homes in Hillsborough County or any of the other Florida counties we serve. The FHA loan program uses credit quality, not credit score!

Lower Cost Over the Life of the Loan – The Florida FHA home loan rates are extraordinarily competitive. FHA’s lower risk to the lender means a better rate for the borrower.

Safeguards for Borrowers Who Get Behind – The Florida FHA loan mortgages also allow the lender more options in helping borrowers who fall behind keep their homes are get current again: special forbearance, workouts, even free mortgage counseling. Further, HUD can allow the lender to take past due payments and move them to the end of the loan and in some instance will actually pay your past due payments for you. Options to save your home you’ll never get from a conventional loan! In an uncertain world, this is another excellent reason for you to get an FHA mortgage.

Options for Manufactured Housing – Under certain conditions, you can even finance a Mobile home or manufactured home using a Florida FHA mortgage loan. Call 1-800-570-0448 to get pre-approved for a Florida FHA loan for manufactured home.

FHA Loans Are Fully Assumable – When you are ready to sell your home, you can offer buyers FHA financing! All FHA loans can be assumed by qualified buyers.

These are just seven of the many good reasons to apply for an FHA mortgage. Call 1-800-570-0448 to speak with a friendly Florida FHA loan specialist now!

FHA home loan Advantage:

FHA Home loan insurance guarantees the private FHA approved mortgage lenders against loss making it easier for Florida homebuyers to qualify for a home loan with less then perfect credit, Other FHA advantages include:

 ·      Down payment requirement only 3.5% gift funds OK.

·      Better Interest rates.

·      Seller paid closing cost up to 6%.

·      No Minimum Fico or Score requirement

Apply for an FHA home loan at www.FHAMortgageFHALaon.com

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Managing Student Loan Debt

March 11, 2010

Consolidating student loan debt is the best way for a person to manage their money and debt right out of school. Typically a person will have a large amount of debt collected through college. This might include car debt, credit card debt, and student loans. In order to keep track of it all and to make timely payments, the student should consider consolidating student loan debt to minimize the amount of worry each month. By getting a student loan consolidation, students can take advantage of the lower interest rates on their student loans. Consolidating student loan debt is the best way for a student to learn about money management in the “real world.”

When a student chooses to consolidate student loan debt, they are basically combining all of their student loans into one. The interest rates of the loans are also combined and averaged to become the interest rate that the student will pay on the student loan consolidation. By lowering the interest rate on the student loans, a student can focus on getting all of their debt lowered and plan out their budget every month. Being able to manage finances and other debts in addition to student loan debt is a good practice, and will benefit the student in future financial dealings. By making timely payments on a student loan consolidation, the student is making their credit report that much better.

Often times, student loan debt will have the lowest interest rates of any other type of debt that a student will have. While many people suggest paying off the higher interest debts first, it will affect the student’s credit history if they do not pay their student loans. When a student misses multiple student loan payments, their student loans become defaulted. A defaulted student loan will put the account on hold until the student can get their loans current. When a student has a defaulted student loan, their credit history will get flagged. There are ways to get the credit history back to normal; however, when they go to apply for future finances like a mortgage or a car, their credit report will show the default student loan.

A student loan consolidation helps students to get control of their debts and finances when they are out of college. For many people, a student loan consolidation helps to make paying student loans back easier with less hassle. Most students get their student loans consolidated within their grace period, which is beneficial for many reasons. Interest rates always go up in July of each year. So when a student consolidates their student loans, they can take advantage of lower interest rates.

For more resources about Loan consolidation or even about School loan consolidation and especially about Student loan please review these links.

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7 Reverse mortgage tips you shouldn’t ignore

March 10, 2010

When you wish to cash out equity in your home without having to pay anything on a monthly basis, a reverse mortgage is what you should choose. Reverse mortgages are primarily meant for
seniors aged 62 and above. Whether you wish to supplement retirement and social security income, pay for healthcare or home improvements, reverse mortgages can provide you with tax free cash flow in lump sum amount or through monthly installments. Given below are 7 helpful tips for those willing to avail reverse mortgages.

1. Ask questions: When you approach a lender for a reverse home loan, ask him questions such that you understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage clearly. Accept the loan offer only when you’re clear about how it works and whether it can serve our purpose.    

2. It’s worth waiting till you’re older: The older you are, the higher can be the loan amount you may qualify for.

3. How to get the funds: There are different ways to receive funds in a reverse mortgage. You need to understand whether you want equal monthly payments, lump sum cash, a line of credit or a combination of monthly checks and line of credit.

4. Know your liabilities: When you take out a reverse mortgage on your home, you need to keep paying the property taxes, home insurance premiums and maintenance costs. Your loan may become due if you don’t fulfill these responsibilities.  

5. Beware of scams: Mortgage scams are quite common these days. The scammers target senior homeowners and offer to help them in finding a reverse mortgage lender in exchange for a fee. This fee is a small percentage of the loan amount available to the senior homeowner. It’s better to avoid getting into such deals as you don’t know what you may end up with. The best thing is to contact a HUD approved reverse
mortgage counselor in order to check out your eligibility and explore options you may consider.   

6. Consider the loan costs: The costs of taking out the loan are quite high. You can pay a part of the costs in cash while the rest can be added to the loan amount. So, what you need to do is, compare the costs on different loan programs before you choose the one that suits you.

7. Find if you’ll qualify for Medicaid: Reverse mortgage may affect your eligibility to qualify for public benefits such as Social Security benefits and Medicaid. No doubt, reverse mortgage is a good option to generate cash flow from the equity in your home. But you need to make sure that you’re well aware of how it works and how best it can help you.

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What to be Aware of When Considering Student Loan Consolidation – Recent Implications

March 10, 2010

Student consolidation loans are among the most popular refinancing loans as they make repayment of the education loans easier to handle. Those loans are in high demand because they offer important benefits. Some of those benefits are available with both federal and private student consolidations, but some come only with the federal consolidations.

It’s important to know that private education loans can’t be consolidated into federal consolidation loan, but there are private lenders – not too many, though – that offer private consolidation of those private student loans.

Private consolidation loans can include federal education loans, however, including those federal loans in a private consolidation loan is usually not desirable for a number of reasons. For instance, with private consolidation, you will lose important, generous benefits of the federal loans, such as flexible repayment terms and loan forgiveness and cancellation provisions. Private consolidation will often increase your effective interest rate and you will pay much more to serve your education debt – even though you’ll get lower monthly payments.

For those reasons, it’s recommended to seek federal consolidation loan first and only if you can’t get one, look for a private consolidation.

However, private lenders aren’t recently willing to consolidate student loans as they were some years ago. For two main reasons – first, the global credit crisis and second, the law passed recently by the Congress that significantly reduced the subsidies for providing education loans (including student consolidation loans).

The recent credit crunch debacle made the private lenders tighten their lending standards for the prospective borrowers applying for the student consolidation loans. The applicants need now higher credit scores and higher income. By the way, checking those is another important difference between federal and private consolidations. You will not be subject to any credit check and income-level test when asking for a federal student consolidation loan. On the other hand, it’s an important part of the private consolidation process – your credit rating will have significant impact on the interest rate you’ll get. Therefore, it determines the total amount you’ll have to repay when you take the consolidation loan.

According to credit business sources, in order to be eligible for a private student consolidation loan and get an interest rate that will make the consolidation worthwhile, you will need a FICO credit score of 700 – at least 50 points higher than it was just a few years ago. Moreover, the private lenders require now your debt-to-income ratio to be much lower than 50%.

So what should you do if you really need to consolidate your student loans see the private consolidation loan as your only chance? Well, in order to improve your chance of getting one, you could use a co-signer, for example your parents, or somebody who has good credit rating.

Finally, it’s important to mention here some drawbacks that the borrowers who take student consolidation loans face.

First of all, if your main reason for seeking consolidation is to lower your monthly payments, you have to remember that while your monthly payments will be lower (sometimes by as much as 50%) and your finances will be simpler because you’ll have only one monthly payment, it will all come at higher cost. Why? Because you will have to be stuck with the loan for longer period of time, as the lower payments require longer repayment and the total amount of the interest paid will be higher.

Here are some other issues to remember. If you take the consolidation loan, your grace period will often be shortened and you may also lose loan discounts provided by the originating lenders. Also, you may have to repay a fee waiver or rebate that you got from those lenders. And, if you have a Perkins loan, usually it is better to leave it alone and not consolidate it as Perkins loans have important benefits not found in other loans and they would be lost in consolidation.

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