A personal loan is one of the most popular loan items available in the market today. With many lenders offering a personal loan, it has also become easy to apply for this type of loan. This loan is generally opted for by people when they want to raise funds for purposes that banks generally don’t lend for such as for travel expenses, medical expenses or for a wedding. The interest rates on personal loan are also reasonable as compared to other loans which has made it the loan of choice for people.
However, before taking on a loan commitment, you must know what is a personal loan and how it works so that you can decide whether a personal loan is the best type of loan for you.
Here are some things to remember before opting for a personal loan:
Unsecured:
A personal loan is unsecured which means that the loan applicant does not have to worry about putting up a security for the loan. However, since it is unsecured, the lender takes additional steps to verify the repayment capability of the borrower.
Unconditional:
When you opt for a personal loan, the loan comes with no conditions about fund use except for standard negative items of use such as for criminal activities or for illegal activities. Apart from this, the lenders generally do not place any conditions on where the funds can be used. This is why people opt for personal loans and use the funds to meet different goals and purposes.
Depends on credit score:
Since the personal loan is unsecured, the lenders rely heavily on the credit score of the borrower. The credit score depends on the repayment history of the individual. This tells the lender if the borrower has defaulted on loan instalments or delayed payment of any loan instalment or credit card bills. It also tells the lender how many times the borrower has made loan applications. This is why it is essential to maintain a good credit score before you consider taking it.
Instant funds:
It is possible to research personal loan online apply for it online and get the funds online as well. With many different lenders offering personal loan, it has become very easy for a borrower to use personal loan to get instant funds. Some lenders disburse funds in a couple of hours after accepting the loan application. This makes it excellent for raising funds in an emergency.
Loan application:
An important thing to remember when you want to apply for personal loan is that when ever you make a personal loan application, the lender makes a hard pull request for your credit information. Multiple such requests can pull down your credit score.
Interest and charges:
Apart from interest on personal loan, there are other charges like loan processing fees, pre-payment or part repayment fees etc. Most lenders have these fees clearly displayed on their websites. Once you check these charges for personal loan online, apply through their website.