The Pros And Cons Of Debt Consolidation

By Layla Vanderbilt

Debt consolidation companies are everywhere and many of them can actually make a deal with your credit card companies to substantially lower or eliminate the debt you have built up by using your credit cards. As you consider working with a debt consolidation firm, you have good reason to worry that your credit score may be made worse in the process. If your debt-to-income ratio is too high, your credit score may be so adversely affected that potential lenders will pass you up just when you need another loan in the future.

To help with this issue, several companies offer what is called debt consolidation.They offer to remove all your debt quickly. It's hard to know if this is a good idea. Will consolidating your debt plunge your credit score even further down? Will lowering the debt help your score in the long run? The answers depend on a few things.

If you are a person who has proved you are able to make timely payments, consolidation can be a positive way to reduce your credit card debt which greatly lowers your debt-to-income ratio while raising your overall credit score.

If, however, you are not making timely payments now, consolidation deals may reduce the amount you owe, but, at the same time, will certainly also hurt your credit score. Your goal should be to get an interest rate on your consolidated loan that is a better rate than what you are currently paying on your credit cards. The lower interest rate not only also saves you money, but you'll probably be able to pay off the debt earlier because, by making larger payments, more of each payment goes towards paying off the principle of the loan.

Another method of consolidation is to pay off the balance on all your credit cards with proceeds from a home equity loan or another mortgage on your home (called a second mortgage). Interest is almost always much lower with these types of loans. They look much better on your loan record, too. Your credit score won't suffer nearly as much if you add a loan of $15,000 to your mortgage instead of to some high-interest credit card.

You can otherwise take out an equity loan to consolidate your credit card debtors with the lowest interest rate and can make your income to debt ratio lower. Your home loan will absorb $15000 in debt easily as it is listed on your credit report as additional debt with high interest payments.

Your credit rating is an asset that you should want to maintain and grow, so examine all your options before taking what looks like an easy way out of your current financial crisis. - 23200

About the Author:

Layla Vanderbilt is the content coordinator for a leading website that offers for bad debt consolidation advice and guidance.