Customers Beware Of Debt Consolidation Loans And Risks

By Mike Pettigrew

Loans may not always offer the best solution to your financial problems, and there are many hidden dangers which could ultimately make your current situation worse, not better. Beware of Debt Consolidation Loans because often times these programs will only provide short term relief without offering consumers long term help with their debt. Once in a while it may be acceptable to pursue your needs for special loans to help get out of debt, but overall it is best to work with other programs that will both change your credit habits and reduce your total amount of money owed.

The purpose of this loan is to pool or consolidate all your loans into one single loan with a single lender or bank. The loan will be used to pay off all of the other loans, from school loans to credit cards to car loans. Now, instead of five or ten individual loans and monthly payments, you only make on payment to one lender.

This type of loan would, for $30,000, could be used to pay off 3 $10,000 credit cards, or two $5,000 credit cards and one $20,000 student loan, or whatever combination of loans you have. Although the thought of a single loan with a single company is nice, there are some risks for the consumer which may not be apparent.

The biggest risk is the lack of change in spending and credit habits. Without a change in how money is spent and credit is used, all of the accounts which now have a zero balance after consolidation, could quickly inflate, leaving the borrower with a compounded loan and additional new credit card debt. Instead of owing $30,000 to the bank you could owe them, plus another $5000 or $10,000 on credit cards.

Another concern is the interest rate and fees paid for these debt consolidation loans versus credit card and other loans. Student loans are typically at a low interest rate, and the rates offered for a debt consolidation loan may be higher, resulting in more money paid out to the lending company and less savings for the consumer.

If the interest rate on a student loan is 5%, and the interest rate on a debt consolidation loan is 8%, you are paying an additional 3% by consolidating your loan. Also, a debt consolidation loan may offer the same or lower interest rate than a credit card, but it could have hidden annual and processing fees which will ultimately make it more expensive for the consumer.

The goal for any borrower is to get the lowest interest rate possible, with the best terms and fees, to decrease their overall amount of debt. Historically, many people who consolidate debt without a change in spending habits and credit use increase their overall debt to an amount greater than what they had before consolidation.

In many of these situations, a debt management may be the best answer. A debt management plan will help the consumer pay down existing debt, working with a credit counseling agency who takes the monthly debt payment and negotiates and distributes the payment to the various lenders. Debt management plans are often non-profit agencies, and they negotiate with lenders to get the lowest possible repayment rates and fees. They work on the borrowers behalf, and the borrower is able to make a single monthly payment, and over time eliminate their debt. - 29866

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