Personal Loans and Lines of Credit

Personal Loans

Normally, a personal loan is unsecured meaning there is no collateral. When you obtain a personal loan, you borrow an amount of money for a set period of time and pay interest on the outstanding principal balance. Personal loans are often acquired to make a specific purchase, such as furniture, major appliances, consolidate other high interest loans into one monthly payment (debt consolidation), home improvements, and income taxes. Most personal loans are obtained from a bank, credit union, or savings and loan, and have a fixed term. If you make the regular payment each month, you will eliminate the debt within the term of the loan. Because personal loans are unsecured, you typically need to have good credit, unless the loan is a