Bad credit has usually terrible consequences for the finances of those that suffer it. Particularly, when it comes to obtaining funding for any purpose, the costs associated with financing for those with a bad credit score or history are significantly higher than that of those with a regular credit for similar financial products. The costs are also affected by other variables like the type of product under consideration but the credit score issue is probably the most important factor.
Knowing how credit score affects the costs of financing will not solve the problem. Yet, it will let us analyze and find the tools available for counteracting the consequences of a bad credit score on the costs of financing. These tools are available to most applicants and imply certain sacrifices but they will provide the necessary remedies against this problem and eventually let the applicant to repair credit and obtain more advantageous conditions on financial products.
How Credit Score Affects The Costs Of Financing
The main variable that affects the costs of a certain loan type is the default ratio of that loans. It may sound unfair since you are an individual and you do not plan on defaulting on your loan. However, lenders do not know that for sure and there is absolutely no reason for them to have faith. The business rests on probability and statistics. Thus, bad credit loans which have a higher default ratio imply higher costs for financing.
The variable is risk and higher risks imply higher costs. That is the reason why lenders require higher returns. It is the only way to compensate for these risks. Fortunately it is possible to counteract this risk with measures that compensate the higher costs associated with a higher default ratio by reducing the risk of the transaction. These measures are mainly: securing the loan with an asset, improving the credit score or providing a co-signer.
Reducing The Risks, Reducing The Costs
As explained above, the risks of the transaction determine its costs and thus, reducing the risks implies reducing the costs. Providing security can significantly reduce the interest rate charged for the financial transaction. Sometimes, secured loans when compared with unsecured loans feature an interest rate that can be as low as half the rate. Thus, the costs can be reduced by 50% and sometimes even more.
Improving the credit of the applicant prior to applying is also a way of reducing the costs of financing. However, there is not always enough time to do so if you are going through an emergency and you need the funds fast. If that is the case, there is an alternative that you may want to consider: To avoid this being an obstacle, the bad credit applicant can use the aid of a cosigner. The co-signer will apply too and his credit score (that must obviously be better) will be taken into account too thus reducing the risk implied because in order for the lender to lose the investment both the main applicant and the co-signer would have to default on the loan.
