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Adverse debt levels blight UK consumers personal finances
Debt levels are at an all time high in the UK. The younger generation tend to be feeling the pinch the most, but parents are increasingly being required to bail them out, often at great expense to their own limited mortgage or retirement savings. ...
All About Debt Consolidation Loans
Debt consolidation loans can be the answer to a number of financial problems, but before you take the plunge, make sure you're well informed.
What is a debt consolidation loan?
Debt consolidation is when you arrange a single loan to cover a...
Credit Counseling -- Why It Doesn't Work For Most Debtors
"Cut Your Payments in Half!" the headline screams. "Consolidate Your Bills into One Low Monthly Payment!"
When you see ads like this, they are often from Credit Counseling firms. In this article, I'll explain the principles behind the Credit...
Debt Consolidation Help- employ a helping hand for debt elimination
Many of us, especially those who have found themselves in debts
for the first time, will laugh off the suggestion for debt
consolidation help. Where does debt consolidation help figure in the scheme of
things? Not anywhere if some people are to...
Debt Getting You Down? - Make a List!
Debt whether it be mortgage debt, credit card debt, a student loan or anything else is not much fun and when faced with it, people sometimes look for complicated debt solutions and often overlook the many simple ways that you can save money. Believe...
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Do you need a debt consolidation loan?
If you are in financial difficulties due to debt or have built
up a variety of debts over time, a debt consolidation loan may
be for you. But before you take that route, you should consider
all the options.
However you got into debt - unexpected financial difficulties,
illness, loss of providing member of the family or overspending
- you can turn to several organizations and charities for
advice. These include the Citizen's Advice Bureaux, the Consumer
Credit Counselling service, the Community Legal Service (England
and Wales) or call the National Debtline on 0808 808 4000.
Remember debt consolidation is one option and you should not
feel pressured into taking it. These organizations can help you
consider the alternatives.
Your own lenders can also be surprisingly sympathetic about
restructuring repayments. Talk to them as well.
Having said that, many borrowers can benefit from consolidating
their debts on better interest rate terms. Some credit cards
cost up to 17.9 % (e.g. MBNA) and store cards can cost more.
Consolidating your debt could cut interest payments by up to two
thirds.
It may be more convenient to make one payment rather than
several. Or you can improve your cash flow in the short term by
reducing monthly outgoings. But this may cost you more over time
because you are paying the debt off over a longer period of time.
Be careful if you are borrowing larger sums of money (over £
25000) as your loan is likely to be secured as a second mortgage
rather than an unsecured personal loan. Many adverts make it
sound like debt consolidation will solve your financial
problems. But taking out a secured loan means you are gambling
your house that you can repay the debts. You need to be sure of
your ability to repay before doing this.
Most people simply want to consolidate
unsecured personal debts,
overdrafts or credit cards. Taking out a second mortgage to do
this could mean you lose your home if you fail to pay the debt
even though you keep up the payments on your first mortgage. You
should also consider insuring this kind of loan, although not
necessarily with the lending company. You may find a cheaper
policy elsewhere.
Make sure you deal with the causes of your debt as well as
restructuring your credit. There is little point in taking out a
debt consolidation loan if you continue to live beyond your
means. If you don't exercise financial discipline you run the
risk of getting into the same trouble again in two or three
years time.
Before taking out a loan, think about how much you can afford
to repay per month. You need to know -
- what the APR is - whether it is variable - what the overall
cost of the loan is - if the rate of repayment can change for
other reasons - what happens if you miss a payment - what
happens if you repay early or refinance - if you have secured
the loan on your home, what are the consequences of defaulting -
what happens if you decide to move house
Things to be wary of are -
- firms which specialize in debt consolidation; they generally
cost more in interest and fees - claims to improve credit
records; only you can do this and it takes time - offers to lend
extra money, for example, to buy a car; extra debt puts your
home at further risk
Finally, shop around for the best credit and payment protection
deals. You do not have to get them from the same company and you
may not get the best deal if you do.
About the author:
Working in site design, structuring and content for over 3 years
and currently writing for Creditmarket.co.uk
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| Advertisements Promising Debt Relief May Be Offering Bankruptcy |
| Cautions consumers about ads in newspaper, magazine and telephone directories that offer quick fixes for debt problems. |
| www.ftc.gov |
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| Welcome to Debt Relief International |
| Welcome to the web site of Debt Relief International. |
| www.dri.org.uk |
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| Debt relief steps, your free guide to debt help. |
| Articles on debt relief, and credit management and repair. |
| www.debtsteps.com |
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| Factsheet - Debt Relief Under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries ... |
| The HIPC Initiative is a comprehensive approach to debt reduction for heavily indebted poor countries pursuing IMF- and World Bank-supported adjustment and ... |
| www.imf.org |
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| Special report: debt relief | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited |
| February 6: A year ago the Guardian set out to track the west's promises of action for Africa on aid, trade, health and debt relief. As G8 finance ministers ... |
| www.guardian.co.uk |
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| Debt Relief Options - Findlaw for the Public - |
| Welcome to Debt Relief Options. This section contains information about the ... To begin, select one of the Debt Relief Options topics from the list below ... |
| bankruptcy.findlaw.com |
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| William Brewer |
| The Brewer Law Firm. William E. Brewer, Jr., Attorney at Law Board Certified Consumer Bankruptcy Specialist. 619 N. Person Street Raleigh, NC 27604 ... |
| www.debtrelief.com |
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| Debt Relief - InCharge Debt Solutions |
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| www.incharge.org |
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| Economic Policy and Debt |
| May 2006, IMF And World Bank Support Cameroon’s Completion Point Under The Enhanced HIPC Initiative And The IMF Immediately Grants 100 Percent Debt Relief ... |
| www.worldbank.org |
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| Economic Policy and Debt - The Enhanced HIPC Initiative |
| The Initiative’s debt-burden thresholds were adjusted downward, which enabled a broader group of countries to qualify for larger volumes of debt relief. ... |
| www.worldbank.org |
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| Debt relief - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Debt relief is the partial or total forgiveness of debt, or the slowing or stopping of debt growth, owed by individuals, corporations, or nations. ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Debt Analyzer, Debt Reduction Software, Home Page |
| Debt Elimination at its best! Potential savings of hundreds or thousands of dollars! Build debt reduction, timed elimination or consolidation schedules. |
| www.debtanalyzer.com |
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| Superior Debt Relief |
| We help you get rid of credit card debt much faster than you may believe possible with credit card debt settlement and negotiation tactics, providing debt ... |
| www.superiordebtrelief.com |
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| Debt Relief - Social and Economic Policy - Global Policy Forum |
| Aid Inflows, Debt Relief Yet to Translate into Reduced Poverty (March 20, 2006) ... Fearing that the IMF could tie debt relief to economic benchmarks, ... |
| www.globalpolicy.org |
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| Debt Relief - Global Policy Forum - Social and Economic Policy |
| Debt Relief - Global Policy Forum - Social and Economic Policy. The Debt Relief Page Has Been Moved to: ... |
| www.globalpolicy.org |
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| BBC NEWS | Business | Q&A: African debt relief |
| BBC News looks at the progress of international debt reduction efforts, and the sticking points which continue to hamper the process. |
| news.bbc.co.uk |
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| Debt Relief Australia - Start Reducing Debt Today! |
| Debt Relief offers Australians in debt assistance with finding the most appropriate debt relief solution. |
| www.debtrelief.com.au |
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| Debt Consolidation Australia, Debt Relief & Bankruptcy Information |
| Specialising in debt agreements, mortgage refinancing and bankruptcy. Company profile, calculators, solutions, media releases, testimonials and existing ... |
| www.foxsymes.com.au |
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| Oxfam - Debt and Aid - Debt Relief for Nicaragua: breaking out of ... |
| Oxfam policy paper on relationship between international debt servicing and poverty. Linked to table of contents and also zipped for download. |
| www.oxfam.org.uk |
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| What debt relief means for Africa | csmonitor.com |
| This weekend's $40 billion debt cancellation deal could spark major improvements in the lives of the world's poorest people. |
| www.csmonitor.com |
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