Although the term has a rather wide range of meanings, in general, discount points are additional fees charged by the lender when issuing a loan. Through this fee in favor of the lender, the borrower is entitled to expect an appropriate reduction in the interest rate on the loan. In each case, the borrower should carefully evaluate whether it is advantageous to pay more as an upfront fee but receive a lower interest rate for the entire term of the loan, or to choose a higher interest rate with a lower down payment.

First of all, it all depends on what type of credit you are interested in and for which exact amount you are expecting. The requirements will vary depending on the particular loan provider, as well as the specifics of state or national lending laws. In general, though, it's usually a set of documents proving your identity and source of income, as well as your ownership of the collateral.

Gradual repayment of the loan through regular payments of principal and accrued interest is the amortization of the debt. Specific repayment terms are determined according to the concluded loan agreement and are fixed in the payment schedule. The payments are broken down for the entire term of the loan agreement and consist of the 'principal' (original amount of the loan) and interest. The amount of the amortization charges in this case shows the total amount of repayment at the moment.

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.

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 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 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.

A subprime loan is a loan that is accompanied by a high level of risk for the lender. Most often the cause of high risk is the status of the borrower (poor credit history, low income, etc.) or the terms of the loan (no collateral for a high loan amount, poor quality of collateral).

Before taking out a consumer loan, it is worth calculating all the interest and overpayments in advance, so that you understand the acceptability of the loan offer before applying. This way you will know in advance how much you will need to pay each month to repay the loan. Loan payments are most often calculated using two payment schemes: annuity and differential. Which of them is applied in a particular proposal is specified in the loan agreement. Knowing the formula of a particular scheme, you can calculate the amount of the monthly payment and know in advance its full amount with all the overpayments. In rare cases, a bank offers to choose the scheme.

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.

The basic way is to break down your balance by month and apply the interest rate you consider. However, this leaves amortization and additional options, such as insurance, behind the scenes. Moreover, there are two methods of calculating a loan payment: annuity and differential, each with its own formula. To make things easier, you can use a free loan calculator.