Debt Consolidation

Also called a consolidation loan, Debt Consolidation is the replacement of multiple loans with a single loan, often with a lower monthly payment and a longer repayment period.

The FTC defines Debt Consolidation as: You may be able to lower your cost of credit by consolidating your debt through a second mortgage or a home equity line of credit. Remember that these loans require you to put up your home as collateral. If you can't make the payments - or if your payments are late - you could lose your home.

What's more, the costs of consolidation loans can add up. In addition to interest on the loans, you may have to pay "points," with one point equal to one percent of the amount you borrow. Still, these loans may provide certain tax advantages that are not available with other kinds of credit.

By consolidating your unsecured debt with a home equity loan, you run the risk of losing your hard earned assets if you default on your payments. You will still pay the full balances on your unsecured debt and must have a low debt-to-income ratio to qualify.

Consolidating all your debt into one monthly bill may seem like a great way to take control of your debt, but we urge you to be very careful. There is a very high chance that you could end up in even deeper debt!

Like many things in life, Debt Consolidation Loans have a catch. We have found many clients who have ended up with a larger debt due to the high APR's (Adjusted Periodic Rate) of Debt Consolidation Loans. If you have found yourself in a similar situation, do not worry; we have helped hundreds of people just like you.

Here are a couple things to take note of if you are thinking of a Debt Consolidation Loan.

The FTC defines Debt Consolidation as:

“you may be able to lower your cost of credit by consolidating your debt through a second mortgage or a home equity line of credit. Remember that these loans require you to put your home as collateral”. When a lender loans money to pay off all your credit cards and other debt, you have one monthly bill which is paid to the lender. Often these loans do not have a lower APR, and can be as high as APR's of 24%. Even if you do get a decent APR, you are still in debt. The big mistake which we have seen is people giving up unsecured debt for secured debt. Most Debt Consolidation Loans are given in the form of home equity loans; which means if you do not pay you lose your home. We understand that Debt can be a stressful time for many people. Do you really need to add the stress of possibly losing your home with unsecured debt?