Interest rates on a personal loan are usually at a fixed rate for the lifetime of the loan, this is great, as you know your repayment every month. In the past most people went to their bank for loans, but know the competition is really heating up. The Internet offers some great deals; also have a look in the newspapers and on TV. There has never been a better time to pick up a personal loan, as all the lenders are looking for your business.



There are two different types of loans!

Secured ? this loan is usually secured by your home which means if you fail to make the repayments, you could lose your home. On the up side secured loans do offer cheaper interest rates, if you decide to take a secured loan please make doubly sure you can afford your repayments.

Unsecured ? this loan means your home is safe if you fail to pay back your loan, you'll find it hard to get any more credit, as your credit rating would be poor. Interest rates are usually higher with an unsecured loan as the lender is taking a higher risk in getting their money back.

Loans are much like mortgages it's the interest that you're paying back at the start, the loan is paid further down the line. One thing to watch out for is if you pay off your loan earlier than agreed you could face penalties. You could be asked to pay back the interest for two or three months, not all companies charge this so best check.

Most loan companies will offer you PPI (payment protection insurance) they will tell you that you need it, and that if you're off sick, have an accident or become unemployed they will help to pay your repayments. This is not always the case so please check with your lender as you could end up costing yourself a lot of money, and get nothing back if the unthinkable happened.

So secured or unsecured personal loans which one is best! The two of them really as it all depends on your circumstances. Secured ? you put your home at risk if you fail to keep up the repayments, but the interest rates are much cheaper. Unsecured ? you'll get a bad credit rating if you fail to keep up the repayments, but the interest rates are much higher.

One other thing to remember with regard to a secured loan is that it is as it says, secured, and if you do not keep up repayments you could lose your home. Your home is normally used as collateral against a secured home.