As the name implies, personal loans are used for meeting personal financial requirements. Personal loan is basically an umbrella term that includes both secured and unsecured loans. It can be availed and used for a variety of purposes, and there are no restrictions on the usage of the loan amount. The principal amount for secured personal loans usually ranges in between £ 5,000 to £250,000 and that for unsecured loans between £500 to £25000.

According to a recent research done by a leading financial website, most Britons procure personal loans for consolidating their multiple debts. With the help of debt consolidation loans, the borrower can get rid off his multiple loans and consolidate them into a single one. This helps in saving interest rates that the borrower may be paying on credit cards, store cards and other personal loans. This helps the borrowers to manage their finances in a better way and, thus, have control over their unmanageable monetary situation.

Nowadays, people just don't take personal loans for necessities, but for luxuries as well. Market trends reveal that a number of Britons avail personal loans for going for cosmetic and plastic surgeries. The most popular procedures of cosmetic surgery are anti-wrinkle treatments, Botox, facelifts, rhinoplasty (nose jobs) and tummy tucks.

It has been seen that unsecured loans are more popular than their secured counterparts. Tenants don't have the option of secured loans and homeowners scare risking their home for taking a loan. Though secured personal loans carry low annual percentage rate (APR) and added benefits like deferred payments, repayment holiday and accelerated repayments etc, most borrowers prefer unsecured personal loans. This is because of the low risk involved in the loan deal.

The major advantage attached to unsecured loans, apart from being risk-free is that they get processed very quickly in comparison to the secured loans. This is because of the elimination of legal formalities like property evaluation.