Credit is an economic contractual relationship in which one party receives money, goods or property from the other party, not prohibited by the relevant legislation, and promises to provide reimbursement (payment) or return the resources in the future. In fact, credit is the legal formulation of an economic obligation.

A loan forbearance is a waiver from the enforcement of a loan debt. In fact, it is the lender's consent to temporarily suspend the repayment schedule of the loan agreement. A loan forbearance is usually considered if a borrower faces an emergency such as a serious illness or loss of income. However, the specific terms of a loan forbearance are negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

A loan margin is defined as the difference between the appraised value of a product or service and the amount of the loan issued by the bank for the purchase of that product or service. These two figures are fixed in the loan agreement at the time a borrower applies for a loan.

A direct loan is a form of low-interest student credit administered by the Department of Education. A student may have more than one direct loan at a time. In addition, direct loans are divided into subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Under subsidized loans, the borrower is partially exempt from paying the interest rate.

A micro lender is a type of lending institution that specializes in providing small ammounts of money. Since micro-lending is not accompanied by collaterals, the risks for the lender increase exponentially. Because of this, the interest rate on microloans is usually very high. In addition, the activity of micro lenders is strictly controlled by state authorities, especially in terms of collecting outstanding loans.

A non recourse loan is a secured loan (in which the collateral is most often real estate) which has a very important feature. If the borrower fails to fulfill his obligations under the loan agreement, he is liable to the lender only to the extent of the collateral, even if its value is less than the amount of the borrower's obligations to the lender.

A HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) is a loan with an agreed repayment period, in which the borrower's real estate or his share in the real estate is pledged as collateral. In this case, the borrower does not receive the entire amount, as in a conventional loan, but gets access to a credit line, which may be then used at his or her own discretion and in any amount.

Most companies try to maintain a positive reputation in the market and conduct a transparent lending policy. However, there are some that are interested only in increasing profits. Often under the guise of favorable programs they use hidden fees, additional commissions and unreasonable fines, which lead customers to a debt pit. There are many parameters that may underline such companies. Among the main ones are the following: solvency and sufficient liquidity reserve, size and structure of equity capital, quality of the loan portfolio, information on the management, reputation and information transparency. You should also check for information on the company at Better Business Bureau and similar resources.

Loan origination fee is an upfront fee associated with opening an account with a bank, broker, or other processing entity in connection with obtaining a loan. It is usually a fixed amount, but sometimes the fee is spread over the term of the loan or integrated into the interest rate. It is worth adding that in some countries, loan fees are prohibited at the state level.

A payday lender is a lending institution that specializes in reviewing applications and issuing payday loans. As a rule, we are talking about microfinance organizations that offer unsecured short-term loans at high interest rates.

The main difference is that with a conventional loan the borrower is required to pay mortgage insurance only if the down payment is less than 20%, and with FHA (Federal Housing Administration) mortgage insurance is paid regardless of the size of the down payment. There is also a difference in the maximum loan amount.