RateSetter leading the way for personal loans
... lender, has a one-year unsecured personal loan with an advertised rate of ... for a wedding. To put personal loans into perspective, the average car ...
Nick Bendel( 2 min read )
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Unlike a traditional bank, Ratesetter is an ASIC-regulated peer-to-peer or marketplace lender. Originally established in England in 2009, Ratesetter set up shop in Australia in 2012 with the aim of creating a more efficient, customer-focused financial system.
As a peer-to-peer lender, Ratesetter doesn’t directly provide the funds for a loan; instead, it provides a platform which connects borrowers with individual investors.
Ratesetter is an online-only operation, which means it doesn’t have branches. You can apply for loans online, while they also have a customer service line if you need to speak to someone.
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What is a personal loan?
A personal loan sits somewhere between a home loan and a credit card loan. Unlike with a credit card, you need to sign a formal contract to access a personal loan – however, the process is easier and faster than taking out a mortgage.
Loan sizes usually range from several hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, while loan terms usually run from one to five years. Personal loans are generally used to consolidate debts, pay emergency bills or fund one-off expenses like holidays.
What are the pros and cons of personal loans?
The advantages of personal loans are that they’re easier to obtain than mortgages and usually have lower interest rates than credit cards.
One disadvantage with personal loans is that you have to go through a formal application process, unlike when you borrow money on your credit card. Another disadvantage is that you’ll be charged a higher interest rate than if you borrowed the money as part of a mortgage.
What is an unsecured bad credit personal loan?
A bad credit personal loan is ‘unsecured’ when the borrower doesn’t offer up an asset (such as a car or jewellery) as collateral or security. Lenders charge higher interest rates on unsecured loans than secured loans.
Do student personal loans require security?
While some personal loans can be secured by the value of an asset, such as a car or equity in a property, student personal loans are often unsecured, with higher interest rates.
Some lenders also offer guarantor personal loans to students. These loans have lower interest rates, as a guarantor (usually a relative of the borrower with good credit) will guarantee the loan, taking on the financial responsibility if the borrower defaults.
What is the average interest rate on personal loans for single parents?
Like other types of personal loans, the average interest rate for personal loans for single parents changes regularly, as lenders add, remove, and vary their loan offers. The interest rate you’ll receive may depend on a range of different factors, including your loan amount, loan term, security, income, and credit score.
How long are $3000 loans?
Medium amount loans can be repaid between 16 days and 2 years. Many personal loans have terms between 1 year and 5 years, though some are as short as 6 months while others last for 10 years.
Generally, the shorter a loan’s term, the more expensive your repayments, but the less total interest you’ll pay. Loans with longer terms mean more affordable repayments, but more interest charges over the full term.
Should I get a fixed or variable personal loan?
Fixed personal loans keep your interest rate the same for the full loan term, while interest rates on variable personal loans may be raised or lowered during your loan term.
A fixed rate personal loan keeps your repayments consistent, which can help keep your budgeting consistent, without worrying about ending up out of pocket if your rates were to rise. However, on a fixed loan you’ll also potentially miss out on more affordable repayments if variable rates were to fall.
Can I repay a $3000 personal loan early?
If you receive a financial windfall (e.g. tax refund, inheritance, bonus), using some of this money to pay extra onto your personal loan or medium amount loan could bring you benefits, such as reducing the total interest you’re charged on your loan, or clearing your debt ahead of schedule.
Check your loan’s terms and conditions before putting extra onto your loan, as some lenders charge fees for making extra repayments, or early exit fees for clearing your debt ahead of the agreed term.
What do single parents need for a personal loan application?
Much like applying for other personal loans, applying for personal loans for single parents will likely require the following:
- Proof of identity
- Proof of residence
- Proof of income
- Details of assets (e.g. car, home)
- Details of liabilities (e.g. credit cards, other loans)
- Loan amount
- Loan term
Where can I get a personal loan?
The Australian personal loans market contains dozens of lenders offering several hundred different products. Personal loans are available through a range of institutions, including:
- The big four banks (ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac)
- Smaller banks (such as Bank of Queensland, Bendigo Bank and MyState)
- Mutual banks (such as Heritage Bank, Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent)
- Credit unions (such as People’s Choice Credit Union, BCU and Community First Credit Union)
- Non-bank lenders (such as Pepper Money, Liberty and RACV)
- Peer-to-peer marketplaces (such as Harmoney, SocietyOne and RateSetter)
There are three main ways to access personal loans. You can go through a comparison website, such as RateCity. You can use a finance broker. Or you can directly contact the lender.