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.

A secured loan is a loan that is secured by some assets. The asset is actually the security for the loan. Security is necessary because the amount in the case of a secured loan is usually high. The security helps the creditor to remain secured in the process of repaying the money owed. And that is why it is called a secured loan. Because of the fact that the creditor is secured, he or she may rest assured about the funds, even if the amount is huge. As a result, an interest rate for secured loans is much lower than for unsecured ones.

A personal loan is a credit with the purpose of using money for personal purposes that are not related to entrepreneurial activity. For example, it can be a loan to purchase cell phones, furniture, household appliances, cars. It is also possible to take out a personal loan in order to pay for various services (medical, educational, tourist). A cash loan can be provided for the borrower to use at his or her own discretion. The lender can be either a trade organization or a credit organization. The borrower is an individual (person).

Of course, it very much depends on the country/state, the type of credit, your credit score, and whether the credit is secured or not. But in the broadest sense, for people with a credit score exceeding 600, an interest rate of 10-20% might be considered as good.

Although the range of interest rates offered by U.S. lending institutions in 2021 varies from 3% to 36%, the average interest rate for personal loans has remained about the same for the past 2-3 years, namely 11-12%. Of course, this figure is purely theoretical, because in practice everything depends on a variety of factors and criteria.

A bridge loan is an interim or auxiliary loan issued by a bank for a period of up to 1 year at a fairly high interest rate to cover the borrower's current obligations. Usually such a loan is a temporary measure until funds are available from the main source of financing. Such a loan can be taken out by both individuals and legal entities. It is especially widespread in the field of venture capital financing, which is an investment in a business in order to receive a percentage of the total profits in the future.

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.

A hard money loan is a specialized type of asset-based lending by which a borrower obtains funds secured by real estate. Hard money loans are usually issued by private investors or companies. As with any other secured loan, the interest rate on such a loan is lower than usual due to the presence of a collateral.

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.

There are several classifications of loans, so let's consider the most common one. According to it, there are three loan categories: bank, commercial and state. In its turn, bank loans are divided into personal, mortgage, loan on overdraft, factoring, forfeiting and intrabank loans. Commercial loans may be of the following types: signature, trade and advance. Finally, the state category is subdivided into state loan, subventions, grants, transfers and state tax loan.

It is important to understand that the Department of Veterans Affairs does not issue loans directly and does not specify a minimum credit score anywhere, but only guarantees certain loan terms for veterans. However, most sources state that lending agencies require a minimum credit score ranging from 580 to 620 in order to approve a VA loan. However, it should be noted that there are precedents in which people managed to get a VA loan even with a credit score of 500.