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Consolidation Loan
I paid credit off for about 2 years and brought it down to 2 stateside creditors. one credit card loan with 30% interest, and a car loan at 18%. The balances were too high to pay them off quickly and I could not handle the interest rate so I just recently obtained a loan at my bank at 8% to pay them off over 12 months. I know I am saving a ton of money but just wondering if a consolidation loan will be a negative when my credit is reviewed down the line? Increase my credit score, eliminate all high interest credit, eliminate stateside debt.
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1 Reply
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A good way to improve your credit profile and general cash flow position is to replace a high-interest loan with a lower-interest one that allows you to pay off any debts that you have accumulated. Some of the most crucial elements are:
Why do you consider debt consolidation?
Costs associated with the multi-month loan: Combining your credit cards and car loan into one monthly payment means the money spent in interest will significantly be reduced, translating to making a good trade-off and saving some cash down the road.
Single Monthly Fee: A single payment made in a month reduces the chances of failing to make a payment while also making money management easier.
Improving Factors alter equilibrium: Paying down a credit card with the transfer would lower the credit utilization ratio, which in turn improves credit scores across the board. Even more so, reducing the utilization ratio helps.
Future Loan Enhancement Limits: Future lenders are more likely to view you favorably if you have enough income to service any debts and improve your debt-to-income ratio.
Drawbacks
Necessary Credit Appraisal: Whenever you take a new loan, the lender will likely perform a hard appraisal of your credit report, which may temporarily lower your score.
New Loans: New loans brought into the market may change the “age” of other credit accounts, which forms part of your score. However, its effect in the long run becomes minuscule.
Payment History: It is very important to settle your new loan as agreed. Outstanding repayments are said to tarnish one’s credit history.
Long-Term Outlook
Positive Effect: If, through time, you make a lot of payments on your consolidation loan and do not borrow much on other accounts, your credit score is expected to improve.
Credit Mix: Credit scores are improved by having different kinds of credit (e.g., revolving credit like credit cards and installment loans like your consolidation loan).
In general, once the new debt is taken and serviced on time, the consolidation will have a positive impact on the debtor’s credit score history in the foreseeable future. This is a tactical approach to wiping out such high-cost borrowing, and the credit profile might eventually improve.