Pierre Money Mart Blog

Understanding the auto loans:

Auto loans are offered by a number of lenders, all over the world. They are dedicated to capitalizing on the customer’s re-payment capacity in return for immediate finance to buy a vehicle. The rates and terms of the varied loan policies offered by the different auto loan companies are different and when you compare auto loans, it is important to ensure that the ground work and information assimilated is correct. You need to familiarize yourself with the different types of auto loans; the auto loans with a fixed interest rate and those with variable rates. While in the former, the rate of interest does not change throughout the life of the loan; in the latter, the rate keeps changing through the course of the loan.

The type of auto loan and the terms and conditions dominating the calculations are best understood via the fine print. It is very important to conduct prior research, relating to the types of loans and understanding the regulating factors for the finance extended. Auto loan is money loaned to enable you to purchase an automobile of your choice, according to the re-payment capacity you are able to prove to the lending company. In general, every auto loan is secured by placing the vehicle being purchased as collateral against the loan amount. This also means that in case of a default on payment, the vehicle is repossessed by the company.

Personal auto loans:

The auto loan could be researched and obtained according to your specific needs. The personal auto loan is one in which you personally take charge and responsibility for the loan to purchase the vehicle. The finance cannot be re-directed in this case to take care of any other expenses or purchases. The extended finance has to be used on the vehicle only and the automobile becomes the collateral to secure the loan. The repayment is made monthly, and the responsibility of loan lies with the person who signs on the dotted line. The onus is not shared by the company the individual works for or any other entity.

The auto loan procedure:

The auto loan procedure is a simple process that can be obtained by going to a lender and filling out an application form. You need to provide true and accurate details to the lender as the information, especially that on your job and income, helps the agent to work out details such as the rate of interest and the duration of the loan; not forgetting the repayment structure. The loan is in a way secured by the vehicle itself, and it hardly matters what your credit rating or score is! You could go through the procedure on you own or employ the assistance of a professional like a local auto loan specialist. Once you submit proof of your income and the details of the car that you have narrowed down your search to.

Auto loan access routes:

When choosing an auto loan, it is very important to check the terms and conditions carefully, to make sure that there are no hidden catches or extra costs involved. It is advisable never to accept the very first loan offer that comes your way. Comparison shopping online and in the various brick and mortar outlets helps to save, time, effort and most importantly – money! You need to check on the kind of finance you can avail of, the referrals on the company and the feed back from existent customers. There are sites that provide extensive access to many auto loan lenders.

Online quotes can be received and you can also apply online if you like what the mouse brings up! The quote should clearly indicate how much the loan will cost you, the interest you will be paying during the term of loan and the monthly payment. Auto loan can be accessed to finance a new or used car, depending on specific wants and your financial situation. You need to tread carefully because if you don’t meet the re-payment requirement, the lending company simply repossesses the automobile. There are many factors incorporated in the overall decision and final terms of an auto loan.

Easy Availability of Auto Loans
Manufacturers and car dealers are offering great deals in order to encourage people to buy cars. Economic recession, coupled with a number of other problems that have been plaguing the auto industry, has resulted in a decline in the demand for automobiles. It’s only natural that people are reluctant to buy a car since they are no longer sure of their financial position. To increase demand, many manufacturers are offering payment protection deals that offer to make the necessary payments on car loans, in case the buyers are unable to pay off the interest on the loan due to layoffs. Banks and credit unions also seem eager to offer loans for as low as 6.85%. It seems as though a person can easily obtain cheap auto financing regardless of his credit score. However, the amortization of auto loans should be kept in mind while applying for the same.

How Does Auto Loan Amortization Work?

A loan is said to have an amortizing repayment structure, if regular repayments consist of both principal and interest payments. Auto loans have an amortizing schedule since the loan, which is usually granted for a period of 48 to 60 months, is repaid in monthly installments that consist of both principal and interest payments. In other words the amount of money that is repaid, consists of a principal and an interest component. The interest is calculated on the balance remaining at the beginning of each month. The balance at the beginning of each month is obtained, by subtracting the amount paid from the amount due. Hence in the beginning, the interest component of the loan payment will be more than the principal component. As interest payments increase, the balance at the beginning of the month reduces. This in turn results in the principal repayments exceeding the interest payments. Pre-payments are also allowed thus making the entire process very complicated. Thankfully, there are amortization schedules and calculators available to help the borrower determine the structure of the payments. The schedule also helps a person assess the wisdom of seeking a loan. In case the cost of the interest and principal payments are more than the worth of the car, the person may be better off making an outright purchase assuming, he has the money.

Factors Affecting Auto Loan Amortization

Number of Installments: Despite the availability of cheap credit, a person with a bad credit score will not find the amortization schedule in his favor. The reason is, the amount of money to be repaid will depend on the period during which a loan is amortized. A person with a good credit score is typically given a loan for a period of 60 months. In other words, he can repay the principal and interest in 60 payments. A person with a poor credit score is generally expected to repay the same amount in 24 to 48 installments. Fewer installments would mean larger payments per installment. Hence, a poor credit score would require the auto loan to be amortized over a short period of time thus increasing the monthly payment.

The Rate of Interest: The amortization schedule is directly affected by the rate of interest. A higher rate of interest would result in increasing the amount of repayments. In fact, a very high rate of interest may result in the worth of the car being less than the amount of principal and interest payments to be made on the car loan. A good credit score would help a person avail a car loan at a low rate of interest while a bad credit car loan would mean, a higher APR (Annual Percentage Rate).

Ironically, a relatively high down payment on a car loan is expected from a person having a poor credit score. This reduces the auto financing requirement. Since the principal balance in the beginning of the year is less, the amortization schedule becomes favorable! Of course, higher APR and shorter repayment period negate any benefit that could have accrued as a result of higher down payment.

Auto sales in the U.S. were anemic through much of 2008, but the first really cataclysmic month was October, when a credit crisis froze consumer lending. “You can’t have an auto industry if you can’t borrow money,” said Michael DiGiovanni, General Motors’ chief sales analyst. “The whole industry is based on credit availability.”

The particularly bad news for DiGiovanni was that GM’s finance arm, GMAC (51 percent of which is actually owned by Chrysler parent Cerberus), was one of the lenders that was most crippled. GMAC had already largely exited lease underwriting and begun restricting loans to only the most credit-worthy customers (with FICO scores of 700 or better) – shutting out more than half of all applicants.

GMAC’s woes have dragged down GM sales recently, but for decades it was a powerful engine of the automaker’s success. When GMAC was founded in 1919, its original mission was not to finance retail new-car sales. It was to lend money to dealers so they could purchase cars from GM’s factories during slow-selling winter months (those being the days before closed cars were commonplace), which allowed them to build up inventory for the warm-weather selling season. This kept GM’s factories humming on a more efficient, year-round cycle.

Soon, though, GMAC expanded its purview to include financing new-car purchases for consumers. But in those early days (the Roaring Twenties), customers first had to be convinced that borrowing for a new car – or buying it “on time,” to use the vernacular of the day – was a good idea.

Odd as it sounds today, back then thrift was seen as a virtue, and debt was something to be avoided. Carmakers, joined by other consumer-goods manufacturers (furniture, sewing machines, pianos), sold the notion of installment plans as wise, convenient, and modern. Once consumer perception began to change, it opened the floodgates to increased sales. Determining how much car one could buy was no longer a question of how much cash you had on hand, but how much you could afford per month.

Before then, the average American family would have to save for five years to purchase a new car, which is why Ford’s ultra-low-priced Model T was such a huge success. Henry Ford, though, disapproved of installment purchasing (although his dealers were happy to arrange financing for customers), and instead Ford in 1923 launched the Ford Weekly Purchasing Plan. But this was essentially just a savings account, in which customers could deposit as little as $5 a week in an attempt to save up for the purchase of a new Ford. The Plan flopped, and Ford wouldn’t launch its own captive finance arm until 1959. Chrysler followed in the 1960s. Meanwhile, by 1925 GMAC was writing almost half of all auto loans, and it helped General Motors power past Ford in sales and gain its dominant position in the automotive marketplace.

Today, just over half of all new vehicles are financed and a further 20 percent are leased; only 27 percent are bought outright with cash. It’s no wonder that a disruption in the credit market can so devastate auto sales. In America, saving for a big-ticket purchase is an idea as old-fashioned as cranking up a Victrola to hear some music. Credit isn’t just the lifeblood of the auto business, it’s the lifeblood of the entire economy.

For those of us who are unfamiliar with the concept of car title loans, allow us to explain. At times, the best of us get strapped for cash; we may have no credit or bad credit (just like they say in the commercials), which keeps us from getting small loans from a bank or some other more traditional means. A title loan offers you cash from the lender, in return you sign over the title of your paid-for car to secure the loan. Typically, these loans are due back in full 30 days later. There’s no credit check and only minimal income verification. It sounds pretty straightforward, but borrowing from these places can lead to a repossession of your car and a whole lot of financial trouble.

Interest Rates That Make Credit Card Companies Blush

Car title loans have been lumped into the “predatory lending” category by many consumers. Non-profit organizations such as Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Center for Responsible Lending have issued detailed reports outlining some of the title loan issues that the public should be leery about.

One of the biggest issues with these loans is interest rates. Many people dislike credit card interest rates, which average between the mid to high teens for most Americans. Car title loan interest rates make complaining about credit rates seem ludicrous. Car title lenders are in a different category than credit card companies or banks and work around usury laws. Thus, title loan lenders are able to charge triple digit annual percentage rates (APRs). Yes, triple digits. It’s not an exaggeration to see 250% APR and higher on these car tile loans and only a handful of states have passed strict laws that prohibit exorbitant percentage rates. Even if your credit card company is charging you a high interest of 25% APR, it’s nothing compared to car title loans.

By federal law, title loan lenders have to disclose the interest rates in terms of the annual percentage. If you have to get a title loan, make sure they don’t just give you a quote of the monthly percentage rate, they have to give it to you as an APR. If they are unclear about the rates, which many can be, just know that a monthly rate of 25% is equivalent to a 300% APR.

Fees and Interest Only Payments

In addition to high interest, these car title loans usually include a number of fees that add up quickly. These include processing fees, document fees, late fees, origination fees and lien fees. Sometimes there is also a roadside assistance program that borrowers can purchase for another small fee. Some lenders have even gone so far as to make the roadside assistance mandatory The cost of all these fees can be anywhere from $80 to $115, even for a $500 loan. Most of these fees are legal, except one that lenders sometimes charge, the repossession fee. Lenders are not allowed to charge you to repossess your vehicle, but some still do.

As if high interest rates and a mountain of fees weren’t enough, lenders also give borrowers the option of interest-only payments for a set period of time. In these cases, the loans are usually set up for a longer period of time (compared to the typical 30 days) and the borrower can pay the interest only on the loan. These types of payments are called “balloon payments” where the borrower pays the interest of the loan each month and at the end of the term they still owe the full amount of the loan. The CFA reported that one woman paid $400 a month for seven months on an interest-only payment term for a $3,000 loan. After paying $2,800 in interest, she still owed the original $3,000 in the eighth month.

Rolling Over and Repossession

If you think most of the people who take out these loans pay them back in full after one month, think again. Because of the high interest and the fact that these lenders cater to low-income borrowers, many people aren’t able to pay back their loans in the 30-day period. This is called “rolling over” the loan. The terms of these loans are crafted to keep borrowers in a cycle of debt and bring customers either to the verge of repossession or to actual repossession. Not being able pay off the initial loan and then renewing it the next month costs borrowers even more money in interest, on top of the original amount they’ve already borrowed.

Let’s talk about repossession for minute. The CFA reported that, of the people they interviewed in their 2004 study, 75% had to give the title loan lenders a copy of their car keys. Some companies started the cars to see if they worked and took pictures of the vehicle even before a customer filled out the loan application. A company based in Arizona said they have GPS systems installed on the cars so they can track the cars and shut them off remotely if they don’t receive payment on time. That may be an extreme case, but these lenders take a customer’s promissory signature very seriously. If you can’t pay, they will come looking for you and your car.

The concerns for having your car repossessed are obvious. How do you get to work, drop off the kids at school, pick up groceries or go out on the weekends without a car? As if those scenarios weren’t bad enough, owning a car can be some people’s biggest financial asset. If the car is taken away, so goes the money it was worth. Some states have laws that force the lenders to pay you the difference of the loan once a lender has repossessed and sold your car, but some don’t. It is possible to default on the loan and not get any money back for your car, even if you only borrowed a few hundred dollars.

This occurs because car title loans are also over-secured. Typically, the maximum amount most lenders will give you is 25 to 50 percent of what your car is actually worth. However, if you can’t pay back the loan they may be able to sell your car and keep 100% of the profit. Some lenders won’t take possession of a vehicle but instead take the customer to court for the money. They then tack on court costs and finance charges on top of the existing loan amount.

Alternatives

Many car title loan lenders defend their business practices by saying they offer loans to people who would otherwise not be able to gain financial assistance. Although this may be partly true, signing over one of your most valuable assets for several hundred dollars is not the only option.

Some credit unions, like in North Carolina, have begun providing loans that have low interest rates of about 12% APR, a fixed 31-day repayment plan (to keep from rolling over a loan) and set up direct deposit out of the borrower’s paycheck so that loans will be paid off in full.

Other options may be paycheck cash advances from your employer, cash advances on credit cards, emergency community assistance, small consumer loans, or borrowing from friends or family. If you find yourself contemplating a car title loan, check out these alternative options and read the information for yourself at www.responsiblelending.org or www.consumerfed.org. If you still need to sign over your car for cash, educate yourself on the decision and know the possible repercussions of these types of loans.

The first thing each and every individual should do before applying for an auto loan is get their own credit report. Checking credit reports for accuracy should occur once a year. If there are any mistakes that negatively affect your credit, corrections can take up to three months to fix. Staying on top of these mistakes will save you headache in the long run.

Reduce credit card balances An important factor in your FICO credit score is the ratio of owed amount to credit limit. If you have over 25% of your credit limit owed, this could lower your credit score. Try to limit the use of credit cards if this is your problem. Pay bills timelyPaying bills on time is one aspect of good credit in which most people are aware. Be sure you make timely payments on bills especially close to the time you apply for a loan. A late payment six years in the past will not affect you credit as heavily as a late payment in the present.

Pay off debt Many credit cards offer appealing balance transfer rates. Do not fall victim to these rates around loan time. If you cancel a credit card and transfer it’s balance over to another credit card, you are increasing the debt to credit limit ratio. As stated earlier, this is not a good thing. Instead of transferring debt, work on paying off that debt before applying for an auto loan.

There are many reasons why improving your credit score is so important. Saving money on auto loans is just one of the many benefits of having great credit. Improving your credit not only improves the health of your current financial situation, but sets you up for future financial success.

Bad credit auto loans have become increasingly common and more and more customers are enjoying the benefits of getting finance for the purchase of a car even with bad credit. Almost 20% of customers have bad credit so it is not strange that bad credit auto loans have become so popular. The financial industry always tends to provide solutions as long as the market is tempting enough and the auto loan market for people with bad credit meets this requirement.

Shopping Online

Getting a loan from a regular lender with bad credit can be difficult. However there are many online auto loan lenders willing to consider bad credit applications. As the auto loan business becomes more and more competitive lenders tend to reduce the interest rate they charge even for bad credit loans. This is the reason why it is not strange to find affordable bad credit loans these days. So just search around the net for bad credit loan lenders and request as many loan quotes as possible to compare interest rates and other loan terms. This way you will be able to get the best deal available for you.

Secured Or Unsecured

There are mainly two kind of bad credit auto loans, Secured auto loans and Unsecured auto loans. Secured auto loans require a form of collateral as a guarantee for the lender. This greatly reduces the interest rate charged compared to unsecured auto loans. On the other hand, unsecured auto loans do not require collateral driving away the risk of repossession. In order to decide which of these options is the best for you, you need to ponder the risk involved in the transaction if you use your home as collateral and the money you would save in interests.

Repayment Length

Repayment schedules can last between two to thirty years, it really depends on the borrowers income whether he should choose a shorter or longer repayment program. However, it is always the best to keep it as short as possible as this will save you thousands of dollars in interest. “Pay off the loan as early as possible” is definitely a good advice. If you think you might make additional payments due to having a variable income, make sure there are no prepayment penalties within the loan terms as you may end up paying more just because you want to cancel your loan sooner.

Down Payments

Some lenders require down payments in order to provide finance for the purchase of a car. Nevertheless, there are many lenders out there willing to finance 100% of the vehicle value. Bare in mind though, that if you can raise some money and set it aside for a down payment, you’ll be able to get a much better deal as lenders usually charge lower interest rates when the applicant is capable of making a down payment because it shows that you are able to save money and thus it is more likely that you will be able to repay the loan without any problems. It’s a great way to save thousands of dollars.