Loans > Personal Loans
A personal loan can help you to make important purchases or cover
expenses when you need to, and give you time to repay the amount.
There are many uses for personal loans, ranging from small loan
amounts to larger loans to cover expensive work such as a much-needed
extension to the home, or to finance the purchase of a new car.
Our loan finding service will match your needs with the right product
for you, it is quick, simple, free and carries now obligation.

Our comprehensive and independent service will search through the
different personal loans on the market to find the best deal for
you. We have access to hundreds of loan products from over 50 different
providers in the UK, as well as many exclusive deals, so getting
the right personal loan couldn't be easier.
While there are a number of different personal loans available
in the UK finance market, these will basically fall into one of
two distinct types – either secured or unsecured. In simple
terms a secured loan is one that has the borrower offer some form
of collateral to cover the loan amount, and in the case of default
on the repayment, the lender has the right to force the sale of
this collateral in order to recover the money that they have lent.
The major benefits of secured loans are down to the fact that the
lender is not exposing itself to a large risk of non-payment because
they are able to recoup the amount by a forced sale in a worst-case
scenario. When calculating the rates of interest to charge, the
risk exposure is an important factor that is taken into account,
and the lower this is the lower the interest rate should be. As
well as a lower rate of interest when compared to unsecured loans,
higher borrowing amounts are also available with a secured loan,
often up to the value of the collateral that the borrower provides,
making this type of loan suitable for a wider range of uses.
There are drawbacks to these types of loan however, for one thing
you may not have the collateral required, which is normally in the
form of your house. Even if you are a homeowner you may not feel
comfortable in putting your home up as security, as there is the
risk of repossession if you are unable to meet the repayments. If
you are not in the position to get a secured loan, or if you simply
would prefer a different option, then an unsecured loan is your
only other option. Secured loans also tend to require more time
to approve, as the lender has to check that you own the collateral
put up, and that there is sufficient equity held by you in it, with
less checks unsecured loans are often simpler and therefore quicker
to arrange.
In general terms unsecured loans will have lower borrowing limits,
and slightly higher rates of interest, however they are usually
quick to arrange and are available to you even if you are not a
homeowner, making them suitable for a wide range of people and uses.
The reason for the lower borrowing limit is due to there not being
the collateral in place that there is with secured loans, and as
such the lender limits their risk by offering smaller amounts, which
they deem the borrower able to repay.
The type of loan that you choose will depend on your needs and
your circumstances, if you are a homeowner then you will have the
option of both forms. Generally secured loans are better suited
to large loan amounts, perhaps to fund major home improvements for
example, whilst unsecured loans are better for smaller amounts that
will be repaid over a relatively short period of time.
When determining the rates of interest to charge on the loans,
the lenders will take into account a number of factors, including
the risk to them of non-repayment and the costs involved in trying
to regain the money from the borrower in worst-case scenarios. The
facts are that the risks and associated costs to the lender are
less on secured loans, which is why these will always offer lower
interest rates when compared to the unsecured variety.
Whatever you need your loan for, whether it be for covering the
cost of an emergency plumber, replacing an unreliable car with a
new one or for paying for a family holiday you should be sure to
find the lowest interest rate deal that you can. Getting a low rate
is important, as it is the rate of interest that determines the
cost of your loan - shopping around is the key, if you would rather
we do the legwork for you, then use our free loan finding service.
There are an endless amount of uses for a personal loan, and there
is no restriction placed on the borrower by the lender as to what
they can spend the money on. Some of the most common uses for a
personal loan are for car buying, home improvements and holidays.
Or you could use the loan to pay off an existing debt. This is known
as debt consolidation.
The cost of your loan will depend on the APR (annual percentage
rate), this percentage amount takes into account the interest amount
and any charges associated with the loan such as arrangement fees.
All lenders must provide this figure for all of the loans that
they offer, as it is a Government requirement intended to provide
clarity to consumers as to the comparative cost of loans.
Generally speaking, the lower the APR figure the less the loan costs,
and if you are looking at two identical loans, i.e. for the same
amount over the same repayment period, then the one with the lower
rate will be the cheaper of the two. The APR must be stated on any
promotional material offering a loan, as a requirement from the
regulatory body for this industry, the reason for this is to give
consumers an easy way to directly compare loans.
When you are arranging your loan, you should make sure that you
are aware of the costs involved, while the APR will cover all the
standard costs involved with the loan, there may be fees attached
to early repayment for example.
This could be an important thing to know, as if you think that
you may be able to clear the repayment sooner than the agreed term
this could affect you. You should also be sure that whatever loan
you arrange, that you set the term to a suitable length to keep
the monthly repayments at a level that you can afford to meet, this
way you will have the financing that you need without the worry
of meeting the repayments.
A personal loan is usually a far better option than using a credit
card, or dipping into an overdraft, which are both options for smaller
amounts. The interest rates charged on these other options are usually
much higher as they are designed as short-term, instant-access credit
and for this convenience you will pay a premium. If you do not need
the money instantly, then taking out a personal loan will be able
to meet your needs and will cost you less.
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