http://texasdirectlenders.com Texas Direct Online Loan Lenders Fri, 20 Jul 2018 01:51:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9 Where can Borrowers with Unsecured Debt Go for Financial Counseling http://texasdirectlenders.com/where-can-borrowers-with-unsecured-debt-go-for-financial-counseling/ Tue, 05 Dec 2017 03:33:01 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1918 Continue reading

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Borrowers that cannot cope with the loan payments of their unsecured debts can seek help from a credit counseling agency. Credit counselor can provide guide to help you stay on track of your payment. Credit counseling is the solution if you always miss payment as a result of lack of discipline in managing your finance.

Before signing up with a credit counseling agency, you must undergo an initial counseling session so that the counselor can understand more about your financial situation. The initial counseling session will last for 1 hour and it can have follow up sessions if necessary. During the counseling session, the counselor will have a talk with you about your financial situation and what you can do to solve your money problems.

The credit counselor can negotiate with the creditors and persuade them to waive the fees and reduce the interest rate. After a successful negotiation with the creditors, they will set up a plan and you are to follow the plan to make payment to the agency. The agency will then pay your creditors with the money you pay them after deducting the monthly fees.

There are many scam credit counseling organization around so you must be cautious when signing up. The most important thing is that the credit counseling organization is reputable. A reputable organization will be willing to send free information without obliging you to provide information about your financial circumstances. They will usually provide more than one form of counseling services. You should avoid those that offer only debt management plan services. The credit counselor must be able to come up with a good plan in help you to manage your debt. It should not be a shortcut to eliminate your debt.

To start doing research, you can compile 3 or 4 credit counseling agencies. The United States Trustee Program is one place where you can find a list of accredited credit counseling agencies that are qualified to provide counseling on unsecured loans. You can do research on the previous consumer complaints by looking in places such as National Foundation for Credit Counseling, Attorney General, BBB and local consumer protection agency.

You can proceed to make phone calls and ask a series of questions if you don’t find a single consumer complaint that is directed towards the credit counseling company. It is important to ask about all the fees that they charge such as set up fees. It is best to look for a credit counseling organization that is equipped with a team of certified and well trained counselors.

Finally, you must not forget to go through the contract and understand all your obligations before putting down your signature. In the contract, you can find information such as fee, how much of the payment you make every month will go towards paying off the creditors and the estimate time it takes to pay off your creditors.

We help consumers navigate finances online, including short term loans, credit cards, saving and debt reduction tips.

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Borrowers Without Jobs Are They Able To Qualify For Debt Consolidation Loans http://texasdirectlenders.com/borrowers-without-jobs-are-they-able-to-qualify-for-debt-consolidation-loans/ Sun, 22 Oct 2017 02:36:05 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1915 Continue reading

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Borrowers that are unemployed can sometimes qualify for debt consolidation loans. A debt consolidation loan is a type of loan that combines all your loans into a single loan. It helps to simplify the payment of your loan and you will only make one single monthly payment when you are on a debt consolidation loan. Various types of loans can be combined into a single loan including personal loans and credit card.

Getting a debt consolidation loan with a lower interest fee can reduce the cost of paying your existing debt. This can be helpful especially when you have lesser income and now need to rely mostly on your savings to pay your debt. With debt consolidation loan, you can expect to pay 30%-50% less than the original amount you owe.

There is a higher chance of getting approved for the debt consolidation loan if you have other sources of income coming in even though it may not be as much as the salary your previous job provides. If you have a spouse who is employed, you can put down income on the loan application. If you completely don’t have income, it can be difficult to get approved for a loan.

Before you take out a debt consolidation loan, they will require you to go through a debt counseling session. The debt counselor that sit down and review your income and expenses. The debt counselor will review your income and expenses and then create a budget plan. The counselor can provide suggestions on how to reduce your bill costs so that your savings will last for a longer period. The counselor will then search for an affordable debt consolidation loan with a low monthly payment that you can afford to pay.

When talking to the debt counselor, make sure you are upfront with him with all the information he requests from you. The debt counselor may ask you questions like how many payments your savings can sustain until you find a job. He may also evaluate the total income you will need to cover all your payments at the time. He can then suggest that you do a freelance job or part time job to temporarily derive the income for paying your bills until you find a full time job again.

Prior to getting a debt consolidation loan, you should ask yourself how long before you will find a new job. You can always repay the debt consolidation loan early if you manage to find a job after you get approved for the debt consolidation loan. Many people still keep the unemployment budget after they get employed so that they can use the extra money to pay off their debt consolidation loan early.

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Short Term Lending Offers From Discover, RocketLoans and Marcus Which Lender Offer The Largest Loans http://texasdirectlenders.com/short-term-lending-offers-from-discover-rocketloans-and-marcus-which-lender-offer-the-largest-loans/ Sat, 20 May 2017 02:08:43 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1906 Continue reading

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Both Discover and RocketLoans offers a maximum loan amount of up to $35,000 while Marcus loans only extend a loan amount of up to $30,000. Discover personal loan does not charge origination fees or other fees if you pay your bill on time. The loan features a fixed interest rate in between 6.99% – 24.99%. You can opt to repay the loan within a period of 36 – 84 months. You can repay the loan immediately if you have enough funds in hand. If you change your mind about obtaining the loan, you can return it within a period of 30 days without getting charged with any penalty fee.

To apply for a Discover loan, you must choose the loan amount and loan term to find out the estimate interest APR charges. Once you have received the estimated APR interest rate, you can fill in the online application form and wait a few minutes for the loan approval decision. Most applications for Discover personal loans are approved within the same day and the funds released in the following day.

RocketLoans offers personal loans in between $2,000 – $35,000 and a repayment period of between 36 – 60 months. RocketLoans is ideal for use in covering various types of expenses including debt consolidation, home improvement, medical expenses, car repair, new/second hand car purchase and small business expenses. When you apply online, they will verify your identity and income electronically.

They will also validate your bank account electrically to ensure that it is in good standing.
You will be required to login your online bank account for verification purposes. It charges an origination fee of 4%. It does not have any prepayment fee so you can prepay the entire loan without getting charged with any fee. Normally, it takes about 1 – 3 business days to receive funding for the personal loans.

Marcus by Goldman Sachs offers unsecured personal loans in between $3,500 – $30,000. Borrowers have the option of choosing a repayment period in between 2 – 6 years. The APR interest rate for Marcus personal loans ranges from 5.99% – 22.99% and the repayment period is in between 24 – 72 months. Applicants with excellent credit score will be assigned with the lowest interest rates and longest loan term. Marcus signature loan is ideal for applicants with a credit score in between 700 – 740. It takes 2 business days for you to receive the funds from your approved Marcus loans.

Customers interested in applying a Marcus loan can go to the Marcus’ website and fill in an application form. You will have to select a loan term and preferred monthly amount. They will perform a soft credit check to determine whether you are eligible for the loan. After that, you can go to the Marcus site to fill in the application form. This time, a hard credit check will be performed before your loan will really get approved and the funds released to your bank account.

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How Many Lenders Offer Personal Loans Following a Bankruptcy Within One Year http://texasdirectlenders.com/how-many-lenders-offer-personal-loans-following-a-bankruptcy-within-one-year/ Tue, 15 Nov 2016 02:56:37 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1886 Continue reading

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Many people who have just acquitted from bankruptcy are worried that they will face problems with their lives because of inability to obtain a suitable loan. Bankruptcy record can stay on your credit report for up to 10 years but there are a lot of lenders that are eager to offer loans to people who have just acquitted from bankruptcy.

Lenders are willing to offer loans to people in post bankruptcy because they know that you will be grateful to get approved for any loan application without considering much amount its terms. Since you won’t be able to file for bankruptcy again for many years, the lenders have confidence that you are going to have enough money from your income to make repayment on the loan.

There are two types of bankruptcy in the USA including Chapter 7 bankruptcy and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is more serious as it will stay on your credit report for 10 years and it will deteriorate your credit score year after year. Chapter 13 bankruptcy means you have cleared your debt partially. Chapter 13 bankruptcy will stay on your credit report for 7 years.

You can try to send in your applications for unsecured personal loans to several financial institutions. You should first get a few copies of your credit report from one of the 3 credit bureaus. While looking at the credit report, you must check to see if the accounts you paid off in the chapter 13 bankruptcy are included on the report. If you are acquitted of a chapter 7 bankruptcy, you must check and see if all your accounts have a zero balance.

Apart from reviewing the credit report, the lender will also want to check your income. They will ask you for information on the income that you are receiving in the most recent months. Therefore, you should make sure to prepare the income proof before sending the loan application.

Usually, bad credit personal loans have high interest rates so you must make sure that you have the income to repay the loan if you plan to obtain one. The interest rate and fees are usually twice that of what is charged in an ordinary loan. When getting a bad credit personal loan, make sure you go through all the fees that you will be charged.

Sometimes, fees that sound as if they are charged annually are actually charged monthly so you should confirm it with your lender. You can save money by trying to apply for the bad credit personal loan from a credit union because they will offer lower rates than the bank. If you didn’t get approved for a personal loan, you can consider alternatives like secured card or peer to peer lending.

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Can You Have More Than One Peer to Peer Loan Open At a Time http://texasdirectlenders.com/can-you-have-more-than-one-peer-to-peer-loan-open-at-a-time/ Tue, 10 May 2016 01:47:58 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1877 Continue reading

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You can apply for more than one P2P loans if you feel that you can afford to pay back. You must have a good credit score in order to take out more than one P2P loans. Most P2P lender will require a credit score of at least 640 or more. Some P2P lending networks will approve loans from people with bad credit score as low as 580.

Opening multiple P2P loans gives you opportunity to effectively build up your credit score. If you currently have a bad credit score or have filed for bankruptcy, it is recommended that you don’t apply for the P2P loan right now until there is a significant improvement in your credit history. You must be have proof to show that you can manage your finance responsibly.

It is possible to apply and get approved for more than one peer to peer loans from a single lender but there is a maximum amount that you cannot exceed. For example, you are not allowed to borrow more than $20,000 from a single lender.

Only borrowers that are aged at least 18 years old will be approved for loans. Both permanent resident and people who are visa holder for long term will be accepted. In addition, you must show your social security number and have a working bank account. The monthly payment for the P2P loan will be automatically deducted from the balance in your bank account.

It is advised that you don’t request for a loan that is more than your ability to pay it back. Paying back the loan on time is necessary if you want to avoid getting charged with late fees. Just like bank loans, you must keep up in paying back your loan otherwise the lender has the right to take actions against you.

You can considering covering your P2P loan with insurance so that you will have money to pay back the loan in case anything happen and you cannot work. You can always contact the lender and discuss for a lower range if you have a problem in repaying it.

P2P lending is only a short term solution and you must never rely on it to gt money for your temporary expenses. To solve this problem, you must control your spending and budget your expenses according to how much you earn. Just like bank loans, borrowers that can demonstrate they have good credit score will get lower rate and those with bad credit score will be charged with higher interest rate.

There are serious consequences if you fail to pay back the loan as you are supposed to. Missing a payment can seriously affect your credit score and it can also cause problems of approval if you want to apply for additional loans from the P2P lending network.

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Small Steps To Reducing Debt in 2016 For Financial Success http://texasdirectlenders.com/small-steps-to-reducing-debt-in-2016-for-financial-success/ Wed, 20 Jan 2016 03:07:30 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1867 Continue reading

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How to reduce your debt, a simple step by step guide for 2016

Many people use a debt consolidator to get out of debt and there is nothing wrong with that, however, with the proper planning, and the ability to follow a plan on your own, you could do it yourself and save the money you would have to pay a debt consolidator.

So where do you start? Gather up all your debt; retail credit cards, major credit cards, outstanding bills, basically everyone you owe money to, and add up the total to see how much you actually owe. Keep in mind if you have a mortgage and a car payment, but are not behind, these still need to be the bills you pay first, regardless of debt. Keeping a roof over your head and having a way to get to work are also key to reducing your debt.

Next, look at your income and regular expenses. From this you need to create a budget. If your debt is high, then there are a couple of things you need to do; first, stop using those credit cards, and second look at your other expenses and see where you can make some cuts. For instance, if you eat out quite often and it isn’t reimbursed as a business expense, it’s time to start eating at home. There are many very simple, yet delicious meals you could make at home that cost pennies on the dollar compared to eating out.

If you have some small debts (say less than $100) pay them off first. Extending those small debts over a long period of time will end up costing you four times what you actually spent. With your major credit cards, look at how many you have and consider how many you really need. If you have more than one or two major credit cards, you need to consider which one or two you want to keep and close the other accounts out. The easier it is for you to pay on credit, the easier it is for you to get deeper in debt.

A big part of reducing your debt is to spend less money. Most of us live above our means and that results in debt. Now, a car payment and a house payment don’t necessarily count as living above our means unless you have a mortgage that is really more than you can afford or a car payment for a car that is more expensive than you need, but just wanted. For example, no one really “needs” a Ferrari, so if you have a really expensive car, consider trading it in for something more affordable.

Now it’s time to look at those larger credit card or other types of debt. For the cards you have decided you are going to close the accounts on, call the company and see if you can work out a payoff deal. That is what professional debt consolidators do, and there is no reason you can’t try to negotiate one for yourself. You would be surprised at how many major credit card companies are willing to reduce your debt if you make one lump sum payment, or if you agree to a payment schedule.

You can also do some other debt consolidation on your own. When you are thinking which major credit cards to keep, look at the ones with the least interest; those are the ones you want to keep, while throwing away the higher interest cards. Some major credit card companies will even offer to reduce your interest rate if you move your other debt to their card. Then not only do you get a lower interest rate, but you also are sending out fewer payments each month, which makes it easier to keep track of your money. It may take some time and some diligence but if you are serious about getting out of debt, and willing to put the work into it, you can do it without feeling like you gave up everything to get there.

Texas Direct Lenders, is the #1 source for finding help with consumer finances, loans and credit issues for consumers in Texas. Contact our editorial team for future topics on money and savings articles.

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Reasons Why You May Have Been Denied A Personal Loan http://texasdirectlenders.com/reasons-why-you-may-have-been-denied-a-personal-loan/ Thu, 03 Dec 2015 03:20:17 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1859 Continue reading

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If you have been denied a personal loan, that sting of rejection can surely hurt. It is true that the recession certainly has made lenders re-examine their lending practices and policies, and that personal loans are not as easy to qualify for today as they once were. What you need to ask yourself is what do you do after you have been denied a personal loan? You should hold off on applying for another loan until you can address the reasons why you have been denied a loan in the first place. Once you learn why you have been denied, you can then address the issues so that the next time you apply for a personal loan or other financial product, you can apply confident that your application will go through. Below are some of the top reasons for denials of personal loans.


Debt To Income Ratio.

Your debt to income ratio is the percentage of your monthly income which goes towards your monthly debts, such as loan payments, car payments, leases, credit card payments and other debts. The general rule of the thumb here is that your debt to income ratio should be no more than 38 percent of your monthly income. A few select lenders do show some leeway here, if you have other factors that can help to negate this, such as having excellent credit, high savings or a high income. In these cases some lenders allow up to a 45% debt to income ratio, but you should not count on any lender ever offering you that, instead try to stick to the 38% debt to income ratio example. You can easily add up your debts and figure out your debt to income ratio. If your debt to income ratio is too high you should work on lowering it to below the acceptable threshold, before applying for any loan.


Payment History and Charge Offs

Every lender puts a high emphasis on your past payment history with other creditors. It is reflected directly on your credit report in black and white, there are no shades of grey here. Late payments count heavily against you, but not as much as a charge off does. A charge off is where the creditor has written off the debt and possibly even sold the debt to a 3rd party such as a collection agency. If you have any charge offs on your credit report, you should address those by paying them off, unless you have less than a year to go before they fall off of your credit report. Remember all bad debts fall off of your credit report after a period of 7 years. If you do decide to pay off a charged off debt, try to pay it back in full, as partial payment settlements are marked as “settled in full” on your credit report. Accounts settled in full do not give you the level of credit repair that paid in full accounts do.


Poor Credit History

This is easy to fix as far as top reasons for being denied a loan go. For many people it simply can be having to few open accounts. The other major factor here is too low of a credit score. Most lenders are looking for credit scores of 620 or higher for personal loans. It is not difficult to make your score rise above 620. I once had credit issues and was able to raise mine from a 540 to 660 in less than 6 months. The key here is to reduce your credit utilization and to also have enough open accounts on your report that lenders can better gauge how responsible you are. You should pull your credit reports as well, since upwards of 25 percent of all credit reports contain errors which lower your score. Should you find any errors you should dispute them and have them removed from your credit report. With time and dedication you can turn a poor credit history into a fair credit history.

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Breaking Down The Mystique Of Credit Score Variables http://texasdirectlenders.com/breaking-down-the-mystique-of-credit-score-variables/ Thu, 19 Nov 2015 03:43:48 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1856 Continue reading

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If you have ever been denied credit, chances are you have received a letter in the mail, stating the reasons for your credit denial. The letter may have included some codes on it, such as EQ1 or TU19 or even a EX4. Your lender will pull one or more credit reports to decide on how credit worthy you are. If for any reason they decide that you are too risky to extend credit to, you will receive a letter of denial, explaining why you have been denied credit. The letter will explain which credit reports were accessed, and what factors were used to deny you credit. This may include the risk factor reason codes for the risks you pose.

I did some research on these codes, and gained a lot of knowledge on what makes a person a credit risk. We will go over the codes, so you too can gain this knowledge, and avoid these habits. By knowing exactly what creditors are looking at on your credit report, and what mistakes to avoid, you will improve not only your credit score and credit report, you will also have less risk of being denied credit in the future. For ease of explaining these codes EQ stands for Equifax, TU stands for TransUnion, and EX stands for Experian. Not all credit reporting agencies all use the same codes, for example only TransUnion uses code 19.

Amount owed on accounts is too high: EQ1 TU1 EX1

Level of delinquency on accounts: EQ2 TU2 EX2

Too few bank revolving accounts: EQ3 TU N/A EX3

Too many bank or national revolving accounts: EQ4 TU N/A EX4

Too many accounts with balances: EQ5 TU5 EX5

Too many consumer finance company accounts: EQ6 TU6 EX6

Account payment history is too new to rate: EQ7 TU7 EX7

Too many recent inquiries last 12 months: EQ8 TU8 EX8

Too many accounts recently opened: EQ9 TU9 EX9

Proportion of balances to credit limits is too high on bank revolving or other revolving accounts: EQ10 TU10 EX10

Amount owed on revolving accounts is too high: EQ11 TU11 EX11

Length of time revolving accounts have been established: EQ12 TU12 EX12

Time since delinquency is too recent or unknown: EQ13 TU13 EX13

Length of time accounts have been established: EQ14 TU14 EX14

Lack of recent bank revolving information: EQ15 TU15 EX15

Lack of recent revolving account information: EQ16 TU16 EX16

No recent non-mortgage balance information: EQ17 TU17 EX17

Number of accounts with delinquency: EQ18 TU18 EX18

Date of last inquiry too recent: EQ N/A TU19 EX N/A

Too few accounts currently paid as agreed: EQ19 TU27 EX19

Length of time since derogatory public record or collection is too short: EQ20 TU20 EX20

Amount past due on accounts: EQ21 TU21 EX21

Serious delinquency, derogatory public record or collection filed: EQ22 TU22 EX22

Number of bank or national revolving accounts with balances: EQ23 TU N/A EX23

No recent revolving balances: EQ24 TU24 EX24

Number of revolving accounts: EQ26 TU N/A EX26

Number of established accounts: EQ28 TU28 EX28

No recent bankcard balances: EQ N/A TU29 EX29

Time since most recent account opening too short: EQ30 TU30 EX30

Too few accounts with recent payment information: EQ31 TU N/A EX31

Lack of recent installment loan information: EQ32 TU4 EX32

Proportion of loan balances to loan amounts is too high: EQ33 TU3 EX33

Amount owed on delinquent accounts: EQ34 TU31 EX34

Serious delinquency and public record or collection filed: EQ38 TU38 EX38

Serious delinquency: EQ39 TU39 EX39

Derogatory public record or collection filed: EQ40 TU40 EX40

Every single one of these is a reason you can be denied credit. Learn these codes, and review your credit report, and look for any of these factors on your credit report. If you have any of these negatives, do what you can to repair the damage, if possible. These negative behaviors are behaviors to avoid if you care about your credit score.

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Personal Loans May Be The Only Option For Those With Bad Credit http://texasdirectlenders.com/personal-loans-may-be-the-only-option-for-those-with-bad-credit/ Fri, 16 Oct 2015 03:02:47 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1852 Continue reading

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If you are facing a short term cash bind, and have less than perfect credit that you do not need to resort to expensive payday loans to meet that cash obligation? Personal loans are still an option for you, even with bad credit. While it is true that you will not be able to apply to every personal loan lender on the market, many personal loan lenders today are more than willing to work with those with poor credit. We feature reviews of several personal loan lenders on this very website who work with people with credit scores as low as 580!

These lenders examine a number of factors other than your credit score, when it comes down to deciding on whether or not to extend a loan to you or not. Many of these same lenders once upon a time only loaned to those with perfect credit, but this results in a lower profit margin. Many of these lenders have learned that people are more than the sum of their credit score, and that good people have made some credit mistakes, and desire a second chance.

Finding the best personal loan for those with bad credit means finding a reputable lender. You want a lender who has a good reputation, a good standing in the financial community. Finding a lender that is transparent about their fees, rates and terms is also very important when it comes down to selecting the right lender. Some lenders will try and obscure the true cost of a loan through expensive and high fees for example, while giving out a low teaser interest rate, which does not reflect the overall APR due to the hidden fees. Of course any personal loan for those with bad credit will carry a higher interest rate and a higher APR than the same loan made to someone with perfect credit, you will still have many options when it comes to personal loans.

You should avoid predatory lenders, such as payday loan lenders if you are in a bind. Payday loan lenders can have interest rates upwards of 700% or higher. Such interest rates can just send you into a worse financial problem then the one you are addressing via a payday loan. Even with the higher interest rates offered on a personal loan for those with bad credit, the interest will be no where as near high as what a payday loan lender charges. It is very common to see interest rates on personal loans for those with bad credit higher than 24%, but this is much less than 400%, 500% or higher than 700% that payday loan lenders charge. You want to escape and get out of a debt cycle, not get sucked into another bad debt cycle. Personal loans carry a fair and fixed interest rate, with manageable payment amounts.

If you are in need of cash today, take a moment and review some of the personal loan lenders featured on this website. You can not only address the financial needs you have, but also save money on interest when compared to credit cards or payday loans. You can even help boost your credit with the responsible repayment of a personal loan.

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Credit Impacts You May Face When You Cancel a Credit Card http://texasdirectlenders.com/credit-impacts-you-may-face-when-you-cancel-a-credit-card/ Mon, 17 Aug 2015 03:15:10 +0000 http://texasdirectlenders.com/?p=1849 Continue reading

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There is a multitude of reasons for canceling a credit card and closing out the account. Everyone’s reason differs, from wanting to change to a lower interest card, a card with no annual fee, getting rid of an un-used card to obtaining a new credit card with a sweet sign up bonus. For other people they started out with a lesser credit card, improved their score enough to obtain a much better card, but are still straddled with the old credit card. For some people, they feel when a new card is obtained that it is the right time to close out an old credit card. Yet there are ramifications that you should consider before you grab the scissors to cut that credit card up with. Several of these ramifications have to deal with your credit score. There is always a proper time to ditch an old credit card, but care should be taken to do it properly, so to as avoid a negative impact on your credit score.

You need to consider how closing out an account can affect your credit score. One of the most common misconceptions is that by closing out your credit card account that any late payments or delinquencies will be removed from your credit report, which is not the case. In fact they will remain on your credit report for a period of 7 years. The opposite is true for your good credit behavior. Federal law mandates that negative credit info be removed after 7 years, but your good credit behavior will stay on your credit report forever. That’s the good news.

You might be curious as to just how closing out an account could harm your credit score and borrowing ability. For starters a huge part of your credit score is your credit utilization. Lets say the card you want to close has a zero balance, but a credit limit of $7500, that’s a good thing, since you have open credit of $7500 that you are not using. Not using available credit in your credit line actually boosts your credit score. Now lets say you close that account out, but you have another credit card with only a $3000 credit limit on it, and you have currently $1500 in charges on it. That means once your old card is cancelled your credit utilization rate will rise to a whooping 50% and your credit score will dip. New credit card accounts also hold less weight than older accounts do on your credit report.

If you have just built up your credit, closing that high interest account could be harmful to your credit score. Your credit report heavily relies on age of account. If your credit report is short, opening a new card and keeping the old card but rarely using it might be the best thing for your credit score. If you close out an account in good standing with a short credit history for the rest of your accounts, your score will take a dive. I would recommend keeping the card open in this case and using it only 2 times per year to keep the account in good standing. If you fail to use it at least twice a year, the credit card company might close the account due to inactivity, which would also hurt your credit score.

So when is a good time to close an old credit card account? Basically if you have a long credit history, and a few open accounts in good standing that have some age to them. This way you have other accounts for your credit report to lean on that are aged and in good standing. The loss of one account in this case should cost you very little in the way of points on your credit score. Make sure you call to cancel the card, and make sure that you have the balance entirely paid off before you decide to cancel. If you have rewards points make sure to use them up before you cancel the account.

Texas Direct Lenders leads the way for #Texas borrowers seeking help with loans, credit cards, debts and saving money in 2015. If you are interested in reviewing a topic on consumer finances, please reach out via email.

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