Shopping for a Personal Loan

Most Internet users are now extremely comfortable using the Internet to research and buy items that we need, mainly because we know that e-tailers probably have the lowest prices and we can avoid heavy sales pitches and crowded stores.

This is most evident in financial services where banks have used the channel effectively although there could be hidden charges and pricing that may make your new bargain personal loan or credit card not quite so much of a bargain. So what can you do to ensure you're getting the best deal on a personal loan?

Make you sure you know how much you want to borrow?

It might sound silly but often you can find that you end up borrowing too much from a bank and why borrow money that you don't need? If you are planning to buy a TV find out exactly how much it will cost and borrow that exact amount. You may find that the bank will try and tempt you with a reduction in interest rate if you borrow more. Don't. Do not borrow more than you need.

Get a quote not a best buy

The amount you want to borrow will determine how much interest the bank will want to charge you, when you look at best buy table the rate displayed will be the best rate available (normally this is for loan amounts of over £7,000 to £10,000), avoid applying for a best buy loan only to find out that the rate you are offered is different from the rate you saw in the best buy table.

Get Multiple quotes

Interest rates and charges vary by lender so make sure you know what each lender is offering for the amount that you want to borrow. Price comparison websites will allow you to get quotes from many lenders at the same time and you can enter different combinations of the amount you borrow and the length of time that you wish to borrow over.

Apply on-line

Now that you have your quotes and you understand how much a bank would normally charge for the loan you want, apply for your loan on-line. Most banks offer their cheapest rates to customers who apply on line, it reduce their costs so they very kindly (for a bank) pass this saving on to you. The majority of customers can get a decision on-line, when the bank will confirm the exact terms of your loan.

By shopping smart and avoiding the eye-catching banner adverts that promise everything you can find the loan that is truly the cheapest in the market without having to visit bank or get hard sell telephone calls from the bank.

Good luck.

Rhodri James is the Consumer Finance Manager for Decision-Finance http://www.decision-finance.co.uk, a company that specialises in providing customers with on-line quotes for financial services such as bad credit loan and Homeowner Loan

Latest News


New York Times

Carmakers Deserve Loan Guarantees, GM Official Says
New York Times, United States - 14 hours ago
“The American auto industry is deserving of government loan guarantees,” Mr. Lutz told reporters at an event near Chicago where GM showed off its 2009 ...
GM's Lutz calls for $50 billion in government-backed loans MarketWatch
GM says automakers deserve $50 billion in federal loans: report Reuters
Lutz Goes Begging as Obama Sets Timetable To End Addiction to Oil Edmunds.com/Inside Line
Telegraph.co.uk - CNNMoney.com
all 77 news articles

SBA Disaster Loans Available Following Secretary of Agriculture ...
MarketWatch - 13 hours ago
ATLANTA, Aug 29, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The US Small Business Administration announces today that federal economic injury disaster loans ...
SBA offers disaster loans The Central New York Business Journal
Disaster assistance available for private non-profits Winchester News Gazette
Time Running Out For Disaster Assistance WHO-TV
PR Web (press release) - Daytona Beach News-Journal
all 36 news articles

HispanicBusiness.com

Fees rise on government-backed loans
CNNMoney.com - Aug 28, 2008
Effective Oct. 1, the Federal Housing Administration will raise its mortgage insurance fee to 1.75 percent for a new mortgages and many refinanced loans. ...
FHA(In)Secure Forbes
FHA regaining market share Inman.com
5 questions about the new housing bill Statesman Journal
The Evening Sun - Housing Wire
all 39 news articles

US loans to automakers key for union
Chicago Tribune, United States - 22 hours ago
The United Auto Workers said congressional approval for low-interest loans to help US automakers develop more fuel-efficient vehicles is a top priority for ...
US loans to Detroit 3 will have strings Detroit Free Press
US loans for car makers a top priority, UAW says Toledo Blade
Auto Makers to Make Public Push for Loans Wall Street Journal
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - just-auto.com (subscription)
all 13 news articles

Detroit 3 say potential US loans wouldn't be bailout
Detroit Free Press, United States - 21 hours ago
"All the government is doing is underwriting the loan." Detroit's three automakers and their suppliers have been lobbying Congress in recent weeks to fund ...
No auto industry bailout, says Bob Barr Dowagiac Daily News
all 3 news articles

Fewer Loans, But Still More Fraud
Washington Post, United States - 9 hours ago
By Kenneth R. Harney You might assume that with home purchases and new mortgage volume off by 30 percent or more in many markets in the past year, loan ...

NEWS.com.au

ACCC to probe CBA's Aussie Home Loans purchase
ABC Online, Australia - 21 hours ago
The corporate watchdog says it is investigating the Commonwealth Bank's (CBA) purchase of a third of the mortgage company Aussie Home Loans. ...
CBA grabs stake in Aussie Home Loans NEWS.com.au
UPDATE 1-Australia's CBA to buy 33% stake in Aussie Home Loans Reuters
CBA confirms buying stake in Symond's Aussie Home Loans The Australian
ABC Online - Reuters
all 65 news articles

Best Syndication

Freddie Mac Overhauls Underwriting System
Computerworld, MA - 8 hours ago
To fund the mortgages, Freddie Mac buys loans from banks and then turns them into securities that are sold to investors. The custom-built application, ...
The Chicken and the Egg Town Hall
Housing fix backfires CNN
Need More Proof That FICO Credit Scores Matter? Best Syndication
all 6 news articles

Washington Post

Fannie, Freddie Expand in a Bright Spot
Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - 2 hours ago
By APARAJITA SAHA-BUBNA and DAWN WOTAPKA NEW YORK -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are demanding higher returns from lenders in exchange for buying loans that ...
Agency Mortgage-Bond Yield Spreads Reach Lowest in a Month Bloomberg
Critics blast Fannie, Freddie decision on NY mortgages Lower Hudson Journal news
Fannie, Freddie shun NY subprime loans Inman.com (subscription)
Asia Times Online - The Age
all 723 news articles

Capturing the Youth Vote: McCain, Obama Target Concerns About ...
MarketWatch - 16 hours ago
Of those 44 million, 17 million are voting-age college students, a large percentage of whom have ranked college costs and worries about student loans and ...
Obama, McCain Boost For-Profit Educators Barron's
all 6 news articles

Resources