The mis-selling of loans, (homeowner, car loans and credit card), and the insurance sold alongside them, known as PPI is one of the biggest rip-offs carried out by banks

Around 50% of the 20 million PPI (Payment Protection Insurance) policies sold in the UK were mis-sold. In many cases, people were pressured into buying PPI, being told it was a condition of getting the loan. In others, policies turned out not to be worth the paper they were written on when the time came to claim.

The good news is there is a very high success rate for those making claims against lenders/ banks. Fines of more than £22 million were levied against Lenders, for mis-selling, in 2008. Although customers are able to make independent claims for refunds, most are reluctant to take on these mega-institutions on their own.

This is where First Refunds come in. They are regulated by the Ministry of Justice, which officially enables them to manage claims on behalf of these people. The majority of cases are clear-cut. Where there is any doubt, First Refund have the authority to obtain all data on the sale of the loan / PPI including all recordings of telephone calls made between the lender and customer.

For this service First Refund charge absolutely nothing until the claim is successful, and at this point their fee is 25% of the monies reclaimed. The process takes on average 8 – 12 weeks. Occasionally, when a settlement cannot be reached, a case is referred to the Financial Ombudsman to make a judgement. Although this process can take longer it is usually successful for the claimant (the success rate currently stands at 90%+).

Most of their claims fall under two categories:

1) PPI mis-selling
This is the mis-selling of single premium insurance policies sold alongside car loans, homeowner loans and credit cards, usually taken out to cover the loan premiums should the customer not be able to keep up payments– due to redundancy, illness, etc. There are as many as twelve reasons constitutes mis-selling, with the two most common being

• the customer was pressured into taking it, and
• the term of the PPI is different to the term of the loan.

PPI is considered ‘mis-sold’ if the lender or broker was guilty of just one of the twelve misdemeanours, (a full list is on the web-site www.FirstRefunds.com). PPI refunds are up to 20% of the value of the entire loan.

The sale of PPI is such a scam, that it has now been banned by the FSA.

2) Undeclared Broker Commissions.
Unless the financial broker declares to the borrower exactly how much they received in commission on the sale of a loan, the whole commission is reclaimable under established UK case law. This is further strengthened if the broker also charged a separate broker fee. Millions of broker commissions are undeclared and many of the big banks are making provision to pay back up to 15% of the value of the loans they gave out.

Click the link today to find out more, and to start claiming back monies that you may be entitled to!

For those who haven’t heard of credit ratings before, it is basically a lenders way of deciding how safe it is to give you their money! The lender scores you on a set criteria (which is never published) to see how credit-worthy you are.

It’s based on a number of things such as your borrowing and repayment history, any CCJ’s, any current credit agreements, time at address, and whether you are on the electoral role.

So……..what’s next?

Firstly, I would highly recommend getting a free credit report from Equifax.
I started by getting a free trial, and now I find it worth my while to subscribe to a credit reference service so that I can check my report at any time. It lets me see outstanding credit balances that I have, and also allows me to ensure that no one has set up any borrowing facilities fraudulently in my name.

Once you have looked at your report, then why not purchase their score report, which actually scores you…so you know how likely you are to get accepted for credit.

So how to improve my score:

1) Ensure you are on the electoral roll, and this is reflected in the Equifax report

2) Ensure all of your lenders have your current address

3) If you have any unused credit facilities, such as credit cards which you have paid off the balance, then shut it down. If you have credit available to you then you may be less likely to be approved for future credit.

4) Ensure you do not default on payments. If you have a secured loan then you may find yourself losing your house – which is far worse than just having a bad score!!! Make your monthly payments on time.

5) Be careful who you “get into bed with”! If you decide to set up a joint bank account with your loved one – then ensure they have a good credit rating! Once you set up a current account, or get a mortgage with someone, you then become financially linked. So beware!

6) Don’t apply for lots of finance loans within a short space of time. If you get rejected, then wait a few months before re-applying. This can seriously mess up your score, and happened to me a few years ago.

So, what are you waiting for? Visit Equifax and make the most of their free trial. I found a free trial so helpful in sorting out my finances, spotting errors, and ensuring I maximised my chances of getting the unsecured loan I required to buy my motorbike!

Bankruptcy is an ugly word, but a very real possibility to many people struggling to pay a laundry list of bills that never seem to end. At times, that pile of bills seems impossible to deal with, a mountain you’ll never get out from under without taking drastic measures. But bankruptcy isn’t the only alternative to a life chained to the never-ending cycle of bills, late fees and more bills.

Think about consolidating your debt in a single loan, a form of refinancing that helps you put your finances back in your control and your life back in order. But refinancing is for people who own a home, right? What if you don’t have a home, or you don’t want to risk losing it by putting it up for collateral? That’s where an unsecured debt consolidation loan comes into play.

Unsecured debt consolidation loans do not require collateral. You can pay off all your other creditors and keep your house – or lack thereof – out of it. Lenders are able to stay in business by covering their risk with higher interest rates than they offer on secured loans.

But this can still translate into lower monthly payments for you, especially if your credit cards carry high interest rates to begin with and you’ve fallen into the trap of paying late and accruing late payment fees. Those disappear when you pay off that debt with the moneys from your are competitive and you may be able to negotiate a better interest rate. It helps to have a good unsecured debt consolidation loan. And don’t forget, shopping around always pays off; lenders credit score since lenders do look at your credit and employment history when they consider you for a loan.

If you shop around, negotiate, and still find that the interest rate is not going to make enough of a difference in your monthly payment to make life comfortable again, consider choosing a long-term loan. While you will generally end up paying out a greater total amount by the end of the loan, lengthening the life of your unsecured debt consolidation loan will lower your average monthly payment. That right there could make all the difference in the world.

Unpaid or slow-paid bills wreaking havoc on your credit score? Some lenders will consider you despite your credit history. A good employment history proves stability, and even if you don’t have the best employment history there are, again, lenders who will offer unsecured debt consolidation loans to almost anyone. While the interest rates are higher and the limits to what they’ll loan are lower, your credit score will improve when you get the loan, and having all those creditors paid off will do nothing but increase your credit score.

If you bills are getting the best of you to the point that you’re actually considering bankruptcy, stop. Gather up those credit card bills, utility bills, department store card bills, medical bills and any other bill that’s costing you sleep at night. Look into an unsecured debt consolidation loan and see how easy it can be to save your credit and peace of mind.

A “bad credit home loan” is a loan that one can get despite having a bad credit rating. Many lenders offer a bad credit home loan knowing fully that their loan is secure, since it is taken on mortgage of your home.

A bad credit home loan is an instrument of opportunity for those who have bad credit rating and would like drop out of their debt and start on the road to good credit building. By availing of a bad credit home loan you can lower your monthly payments by consolidating all your debts and also enjoy a lower interest rate on the current debt. The consolidation and paying off your current debts by availing of a bad credit home loan is a major step towards credit repair. Moreover, if you can keep up the payments on your second home loan for about six months to a year, you will see a remarkable change in your credit score.

Most popular options available on bad credit home loans are cash out mortgage refinance and home equity loans. Both options allow you to cash in on the equity already paid into your home mortgage and use it to get yourself out of debt. It’s best to deal with a mortgage company online to avoid bank associate’s talk around and skepticism. Its also easier to compare various offers form different lenders to make sure you are not being cheated. Please keep in mind the following while filling up forms for online mortgage:

a.         Make sure you read the articles on online mortgage at the bad credit home loan lender’s websites. By this you can educate yourself on various types of financing and be informed and up to date on fees and current lending rates

b.         While applying for online quotes, do not opt for a generic estimate which is based on you monthly income and bills, fill out detailed information whereupon you can get a real accurate quote.

c.         Try and get to the total bad credit home loan cost i.e. including the closing fees, application fees, any other charges, interest charged, amortization and loan fees etc.

d.         After applying, do not forget to keep all records received from the lender and follow up with weekly phone calls to make sure things are moving on time.

e.         After completion of bad credit home loan, plan to refinance in about three years, by which you should be back in good credit, if you have kept up regular repayments. This will help in reducing your short time debt and maximize your future credit rating.

Use your bad credit home loan to the maximum advantage to get your credit rating back in line. This will help you plan a secure future for you and your family.

The common thought is that getting a loan for your new car purchase is pretty easy and straightforward. However, it is not so. There are a few ostensibly minor variations which can be actually cost you a lot of money. Therefore, it is worthwhile checking various loan offers that may distinguish the desirability of one loan over another.

Finding a car loan with the right benefits and interest rate can be the difference between you buying the car of your dreams or simply a car that you can afford. So, it is important that you give yourself solid answers to these questions:

• What is your current financial situation?
• How you expect your finances to changeover in the coming years?
• Which car you want?
• Do you think it is likely that you will want to refinance at some time during the life of the car loan?

Before choosing a car loan, there are several things that should be kept in mind:

• Credit History —- there are several lenders that may lend you money even if you have bad credit, but they may penalize you to pay high interest rates.
• Compare Rates —- rates vary and there is no sense spending even a dollar more than you have to so get several quotes before you buy your car.
• Transfer Balances —- be sure to look for hidden fees and transfer balances that my not be apparent at first glance.
• Required Information —- lenders will require your financial information such as whether you own or rent a home, how much your payment is how much money you own on credit cards, etc.
• Pre-Payment Penalties —- if such a penalty is built into the loan contract, the lender will penalize you, by charging a fee, if you pay the loan off early, whether through refinancing or by any other means. So, if you think it is likely you will want to refinance at some time during the life of the car loan, this is clearly an important consideration.
• Simple Interest Loan —- never agree to a car loan that is not a simple interest loan.

Also, don’t forget to ask the following questions while looking for the right car loan:

• What interest rate can you offer?
• What is the allowed time of repayment?
• What down payment will you make?

Remember to go through the car loan contract thoroughly and be sure you understand each and every word. If you don’t, take your time and ask any expert. But don’t let anyone rush you through the process. In this way, you could get the car loan that is right for you now and in future too.