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Informative Articles

A Beginner's Guide to Low Interest Debt Consolidation Loans
Looking for low interest debt consolidation loans can sometimes seem like looking for gold at the end of the rainbow, but loans with minimal interest can be had even by people with poor credit ratings. The most important things in trying to find...

Bad Credit Debt Consolidation by www.alifeoutofdebt.com
Are you afraid of bad credit? Then this article is perhaps for all of you who feel bad credit is an issue. Let this be your first step towards Consumer Credit counseling. No doubt there are numerous bad credit personal loans but hunting for...

Consolidate A Credit Card To Reduce Your Debt
Strange though it may sound a credit card can be a useful tool in controlling debt. The properly chosen credit card can, in fact, be used to consolidate debt. There are several features to look for though if you plan to use a credit card in this...

Debt and Bill Consolidation - Signs You Need To Consolidate Your Debt
If your debt is becoming difficult to get on top of, here are some questions to ask yourself to help you determine if you need some help managing or consolidating your debt. If you answer yes to any of these questions, you should probably consider...

Debt Consolidation -- Choose Your Credit Counselor Carefully
Recently passed by Congress, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 will require people who are filing for bankruptcy to first undergo mandatory credit counseling. This is probably not a bad idea; after all, many people...

Debt consolidation loans - Knowledge is power
Debt consolidation loans - Knowledge is power A debt consolidation loan pays for multiple other loans or lines of credit. If you find yourself swimming in debt, this might be a good option. Debt consolidation loan is the best option when...

Debt consolidation services can make you debt free
Debt Consolidation services are the most reliable option to secure freedom from debt. They help you in debt management with care and guidance where you are free from debts. A debt struck man has two options to choose fro; one leads to ...

Eight Ways to Consolidate Debt
Next to winning the lottery, a debt consolidation loan is a debtor’s dream. With one monthly payment and a fixed monthly payment schedule, you can actually see an end to those monthly payments. In reality, consolidating bills isn’t always...

Eliminate Your Personal Debt By Debt Consolidation
If you have personal debt, then debt consolidation or credit counselling are probably the best ways there are to reduce or even eliminate your debt. This is a quick solution to a problem that could potentially last for years, even decades. In fact,...

UK Debt Consolidation – Helps you Forget Debts Like a Last Night’s Dream.
Debt consolidation is the name given to a very popular process of debt settlement in the UK. Debtors didn’t have lesser choices before the conception of debt consolidation techniques, for settling their debt load. Debt consolidation however...

 
 
 
Debt Consolidation – Watch out for Payday Loans

Most any large city has a number of small shops offering payday loans. They’re often found in strip centers; sometimes they double as pawn shops. They have a simple business – they lend you money until your next paycheck. The system is pretty convenient; you write them a postdated check for the amount you’re borrowing plus interest. On your next payday, they cash the check and your loan is paid off. What many people who use payday loan services fail to realize is that the interest rates charged by these firms are substantial, often reaching the equivalent of four hundred percent per year!

The interest rates charged by payday loan stores varies from state to state, but a rate of 15-17% for two weeks is not unusual. This translates to 390-440% per year, which is a staggering amount of interest to pay on a loan. The lenders say that these amounts are fair, and are necessary to cover the overhead associated with running a business and to account for a substantial number of borrowers who fail to repay the loans. That may be true, but that high of an interest rate can turn the “convenience” of a payday loan into a nightmare. Many borrowers are relatively low paid blue-collar workers who live from paycheck to paycheck. Someone who is a “bit short” this week may also find themselves short again on their next payday. If

 


they fail to pay back the payday loan, the interest continues to accrue and additional penalties, such as returned check fees, may apply. It is quite common to see loans of $300 or so turn into debts of several thousand dollars, especially if the borrower compounds the problem by borrowing funds from a second payday loan store to pay the loan from the first one.

Several states have already passed laws capping the interest rates that may be charged on payday loans. Others will undoubtedly follow. A good alternative to the payday loan would be to take a cash advance on a credit card. There is usually a fee associated with a cash advance, but the annual interest rate, combined with the fee, is still a lot cheaper than a loan at 400%. Anyone who is considering taking out a payday loan should read the terms carefully. Otherwise, that “loan until payday” could be there to haunt you for a long time.

About the Author

©Copyright 2005 by Retro Marketing. Charles Essmeier is the owner of Retro Marketing, a firm devoted to informational Websites, including End-Your-Debt.com, a site devoted to debt consolidation and credit counseling, and StructuredSettlementHelp.com, a site devoted to information regarding structured settlements.