Reprinted Articles

A person or body that provides another with a sum of money (loan) is called the creditor and the person borrowing the sum is called the debtor; this is usually finalized in a binding and legal written agreement that ensures the borrower repays the lender. Any material item can be lent but this article focuses exclusively on those involving the lending of money. Unlike most other types of loan, those involving cash will gradually be paid back over a period of time previously arranged; whilst it is possible to make 3 or 6 monthly repayments, the usual time period is one month.

The debt is repaid but an interest charge is added for the service being provided and the method by which the lender is compensated. For instance, some debts repay the interest first and then once this is cleared, the borrowed sum is gradually repaid. Others will repay the debt in equal installment with the interest as part of this amount.

Although this is the main function of all financial institutions, they do have other functions as well. Arranging a loan this way is a normal method for individuals as well as businesses to have a sum of money in their account to do with as they please; other ways to raise capital are available but none as easy as this.

Another common type of debt, particularly in the Western World is a mortgage and is the primary way real estate is purchased, but this is all it can be used for. The financial institution is given security however; in this case the title to the house, until the mortgage is paid off in full. This security means that defaulting on the loan may leave the lender with no alternative but to repossess the property; whilst they can reclaim money owed immediately this way, they may also decide to retain the property until a later date.

Even small loans can be secured but this generally only happens when a person has a poor credit history which could be the case of a person buying a car; if the person using the money to buy a car defaulted on the money used to purchase it, the car would be sold to repay the debt. Whilst secured loans can last a considerable time, this is usually as long as it remains possible for the finance company to reclaim costs should they need to sell the item; for cars, this very rarely extends beyond five years.

The average person may have a number of unsecured loans or credit facilities and not even realize it; if you have an overdraft or credit cards for example, this is exactly what these arrangements are. Typically, interest rates on credit cards or store cards will be the highest but all unsecured credit rates will of course vary from one lender to the next.

There are many names for it but predatory lending is the most common; used when a company places pressure on a person to use their services in order for the company to have a financial hold on that person. Criticism of some credit card suppliers in a number of countries is also made as they issue cards to individuals at extremely high rates of interest in an underhand attempt to keep them paying off even small balances for a long period. You would be wise to be wary of financial arrangements that seem to good to be true because they probably are.

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