Debt Consolidation Loans Make a Comeback, but Tennessee Bankruptcy May Offer Smarter Solution
More Tennessee residents are taking out personal loans to pay down debt - but while some borrowers are finding relief, others end up exacerbating their debt problem.
After falling out of favor during the recession, personal loans are once again being handed out by lenders for everything from kitchen remodels to debt consolidation, reports The Wall Street Journal.
With tighter lending standards and low real estate prices ruling out the possibility of a home equity loan for many homeowners, lenders see personal loans as a way to grow their business. Banks mailed out 424.8 million offers for personal loans in 2011, compared to just 290.5 million in 2010.
Personal loans don't come cheap, but they can be more affordable than credit cards. A typical interest rate for a borrower with good credit is between 9 and 15 percent for a five-year personal loan, whereas interest rates on credit cards are often more than 20 percent.
Some banks are sweetening the deal further by issuing "debt consolidation specials" with rates as low as 6.5 percent if customers agree to allow their payments to be directly deducted from their accounts.
For consumers committed to paying off debt, a personal loan may provide a solution. But Tennessee bankruptcy lawyers have also seen debt consolidation loans make a bad situation worse.
Many Americans have relied on credit cards to make ends meet during the recession. When our paychecks didn't cover car repairs, doctor's bills, or phone bills, we paid for them with plastic.
Unfortunately, leaning on the crutch of credit can be a hard habit to break. This is where Tennessee bankruptcy comes in handy.
People who take out debt consolidation loans or transfer credit card debt to a card with a lower rate often continue racking up debt. As debt continues to grow, the lower interest rate offers little relief.
Sadly, many people with personal loans find themselves burdened with new credit card debt on top of loan payments.
Consolidating debt is just another term for moving debt around. If debt is running your life, rearranging it isn't enough - you need to eliminate debt. Filing for bankruptcy in Tennessee provides the power to do just that.
Filing for bankruptcy in Tennessee gets to the root of your problem by wiping out unsecured debt for good. Because the best interest rate is no interest rate at all.
To speak with a Tennessee bankruptcy attorney today call the DebtStoppers Bankruptcy Law Firm at 800-440-7235 today for a complimentary debt analysis.
More Blog Entries:
Debt Settlement Works for Some, While Tennessee Bankruptcy Works for Many: January 21, 2012
Consumers in Denial About Credit Card Debt May Find Help With Tennessee Bankruptcy: January 11, 2012
Additional Resources:
Personal Loans Come Back, by Ruth Simon and Andrew R. Johnson, The Wall Street Journal