Installment loans let you borrow a fixed amount and pay it back slowly over a set repayment period. Installment loans are versatile and come in a variety of types including personal loans, mortgages, auto loans and student loans.
Regardless of the reason for your installment loan, it’s important to compare lenders to ensure you don’t end up in a less-than-ideal situation down the road. To find the installment loan that best suits your needs, you’ll need to take a few steps that include checking your credit report and researching lenders.Here’s how to find the installment loan that best suits your situation and needs.
How to compare installment loan lenders in 5 steps
After deciding on the exact type of loan you need, the next step is to compare lenders. Comparing lenders will ensure that you go with the one that offers the most competitive rates, favorable terms and lowest fees for your credit situation.
1. Check your credit report
Your credit report houses all of your credit history, including delinquent payments, hard credit inquiries and all of your current debt. When you apply for a loan, lenders will conduct a hard credit check in which they look into your credit report to determine your eligibility.
While every lender has different acceptance criteria, checking your credit report is a good indicator of your creditworthiness and overall financial health. The higher your score and the lower your debt-to-income ratio is, the more likely you are to get approved for an installment loan.
How to check your credit report
There’s an important distinction to make between your credit scores and your reports. Your score is a number based on your credit reports and created using a scoring criteria — like FICO or VantageScore — while each of your credit reports are a summary of your credit history.
Every year you can check your credit report for free at AnnualCreditReport.com, and right now you can request them online for free on a weekly basis. This will give you reports from the top three credit bureaus that lenders use when making application decisions — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Additionally, if you want to check your credit score, most credit card companies give borrowers unlimited access to their FICO credit score for free as an added perk.
2. Conduct a financial audit
Before taking on more debt of any kind, look at your monthly budget, your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) and your account balances. Taking on more than you can realistically pay down will only result in interest accrual and you could end up paying more in interest than you originally borrowed.
Your debt-to-income ratio is your annual income compared to the amount of debt you currently have. Most lenders prefer a DTI under 36 percent, but if that’s not possible, aim to keep your DTI under 50 percent. Paying down your existing debt in full and on time — and even early — is a sure-fire way to lower your DTI.
If you determine that another monthly payment could comfortably fit into your financial plan, then it’s time to start looking at specific lenders.
3. Research the lenders’ eligibility criteria
Before you can research lenders’ eligibility criteria, you’ll need to know where to look for installment loans.
Where to find installment loans
Installment loans are offered by nearly every institution, including online lenders, banks, credit unions and peer-to-peer lenders. However, where you look specifically for lenders may depend on your credit.
Borrowers in good credit health can look to banks and online lenders for the best rates, while those with less-than-ideal credit can turn to credit unions, peer-to-peer lenders and online lenders that specialize in bad credit loans.
What to look for in a lender
Each lender will have different approval requirements; some will require a set income or credit score, while others may not require a specific number but rather a steady income and good credit score. Be sure to check all of the details within the terms and conditions to find the exact requirements — if offered — and any hidden fees.
Each lender will also offer a different range of interest rates. The most creditworthy borrowers will get the lowest rates and most favorable terms, so keep your credit score in mind when researching. After looking at multiple lenders you’ll be able to get a rough idea of what most lenders look for in a borrower.
4. Compare rates and terms
Whether a lender meets your needs is just as important as the rates offered. Before jumping into applications and prequalifying, finalize exactly what you need when it comes to a repayment timeline. If you need a flexible repayment structure, look for lenders who allow payment date changes, if you prefer a shorter or longer timeline than what’s normally offered, make sure the lender has multiple loan terms to choose from.
Also investigate the fees each lender charges, paying close attention to origination fees or prepayment penalties. Origination fees are a set percentage — typically between 1 percent and 10 percent — of the original loan amount that you’re responsible for repaying. Origination fees eat into the value of your loan and aren’t charged by every lender so look for those that don’t charge these fees if you’re looking to save the most amount of money possible.
Prepayment penalties are fees charged by lenders to discourage borrowers from making more than their set monthly payment. For example, if you’re looking to make two months worth of payments in one go and your lender charges prepayment penalties, you could end up paying more than you’d save on interest.
While finding a lender that meets every single one of your needs isn’t likely, there are probably ones that match what you’re looking for more so than others. Keep track of the lenders you’re interested in and the loan details you want to request to simplify the process of comparing lenders.
5. Prequalify
Prequalification allows you to see your predicted eligibility odds and rates without officially applying and with no impact to your credit score. Not every lender offers prequalificaiton, so it’s important to check prior to applying.
Prequalify with at least three of your top lenders. From there you can sift through the list to knock out the lenders who don’t offer competitive rates or those you didn’t get approved with.
If you find that multiple lenders offer similar terms and rates, look for features that set them apart. Some companies offer benefits and perks, like autopay discounts, long grace periods and payment date flexibility. Research each lender’s potential perks to find the lender that would best benefit you then fully apply.
How to get an installment loan with bad credit
It’s recommended that borrowers take the time they need to boost their credit score before turning to an installment loan. However, if this isn’t possible and the funds are needed as soon as possible, there are plenty of lenders that cater to borrowers with bad credit. However, these loans typically come with high interest rates and possibly more fees, including higher origination fees than most.
Some lenders may offer secured installment loans to those with shaky credit. They’re generally easier to qualify for than unsecured loans and tend to serve a wider audience — including those with lower credit scores. This is because secured loans are backed by a form of collateral, like a house or car, so the risk is minimized for the lender or company.
But if you fail to make the monthly payments on a secured loan, the lender has the legal ability to seize your collateral to satisfy the delinquent debt. That being said, only apply for a secured loan if you’re positive you can make the payments — both now and in the future — to reduce the risk of losing your collateral.
Alternatives to installment loans
If an installment loan isn’t the best option for you, there are alternatives out there to help you get the funds you need. Aside from a bad credit loan and borrowing money from a family member or close friend, a credit card could be a good alternative to an installment loan.
Using a credit card to finance your expense depends on the size of your purchase or project. Credit cards tend to have the highest interest rates on the market, and racking up thousands in credit card debt can be hard to crawl out of due to the interest accrual alone. If possible, opt for a card that offers a 0 percent interest rate introductory period to give yourself some breathing room from interest accrual while you pay down your balance.
Source link
