With many personal loans, the only security required for the loan is your signature as a representation of your willingness to repay. However, in some circumstances lenders may require that security take the form of real estate, or investments such as stocks and bonds. When these types of assets are offered as security, they are referred to as collateral.

By offering collateral, you may be able to borrow more than you could simply on your signature. As well, it is also very likely that you will be able to borrow at a lower interest rate. The reason for this is that if you default, the lender can take possession of the collateral as payment toward the balance of the loan.

In order to benefit from the secured rate, loans must often be 100 percent secured. Real estate equity and investments such as Savings Bonds, GICs or debentures, and mutual funds are often used as collateral. For collateral other than real estate, often referred to as "paper securities," only a percentage of the asset's value may be accepted as security. This is referred to as the "margin requirement." The amount you qualify to borrow will be based on the fair market value of the security