Each banking institution has its own procedures, rules and methodologies for examining and analyzing the creditworthiness of a potential borrower applying for a loan. The underwriting procedure results in a positive decision on the loan application or refusal to grant a loan, or a compromise decision: granting a loan, but in the amount and/or under the conditions that are favorable to the bank, even if they differ from the client's expectations. That is, a credit underwriter is a specialist who makes such decisions.

An unsecure loan is a loan agreement that does not include any collateral on the part of the borrower, against which the lender grants the requested money. Large loans and mortgages are rarely granted without collateral, which can be either property (movable or immovable) or the borrower's assets.

A peer-to-peer lending is a way of lending money to unrelated individuals or 'peers' without involving a traditional financial intermediary such as a bank or other financial organization. Loans are provided online on the websites of special lending institutions through a variety of lending platforms and credit check tools.

An installment loan is a very broad term that essentially includes any loan with a clear repayment schedule and number of payments (installments). Therefore, in this sense, a standard mortgage contract is also an installment loan.

The interest rate is the portion of the principal amount of the loan that the borrower must overpay to the bank for using its money. The interest rate can be calculated according to an annuity or a differential scheme. In the first case, the total amount of the loan is divided into several months or years in equal installments. With the second, the rate is charged on the balance of the loan and decreases with each month. Rarely a bullet scheme is utilized where the interest and the principal amount of the loan are repaid separately (first the principal and then the interest, or vice versa). If the rate changes at contractually specified periods, it is considered floating. If newly accrued interest is added to the interest calculated for the previous period (interest-on-interest scheme), it is considered capitalized.

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.

In essence, a loan estimate is the same thing as a loan disclosure, only in a preliminary form and solely for introductory purposes. It is a document containing detailed information on the selected loan proposal, including the interest rate, term, repayment schedule, etc.

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.

A loan disclosure is a document or set of documents in which the lender is required to set out all of the terms and conditions of the loan you applied of (including any additional fees, charges, insurances, etc.) in a completely transparent manner and describe all details of the handling and use of funds and data.

A loan estimate is an approximate form of credit calculation that allows a potential borrower to consider the basic conditions and payments for a particular loan proposal. A loan estimate is sent to a client by a lending institution within three days after the application is submitted, but before its actual approval.

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.