Tag Archives: co-signer
My Loan Co-Signer has Died – Will I lose my car to the estate?
In order to be approved for credit, about 10% of borrowers in Canada need to give the lending company (usually a bank) assurance in the form of a co-signer. A co-signer is someone who has a good and established credit rating already, and who agrees to assume the debt in the event that the person in whose name the money is lent is unable to pay.
In many cases, the co-signer of a loan is a member of the borrowers family; most other people will not assume the risk, although it could be a close personal friend with a good credit record. In some cases, there is a risk that a co-signer may die before the loan is fully paid back, in which case the borrower may wonder what will happen to the assets purchased with the loan. In this scenario, we will use the example of a car in order to see how the situation will play out.
First of all, it is very important to note one thing; the co-signer of your loan does not, in fact, own the car that you needed to obtain the loan to buy. They are simply a guarantee to the lending company that someone will be able to pay for the car. Ownership will only revert to them if you have defaulted on the loan on your own, and they have had to make the payments themselves. In this case, the paper work will already have been changed to reflect the co-signer as the owner. In this case, you car will be part of the co-signers estate, but otherwise it is your own property.
Of course, the death of the co-signer does lead to other issues, even though the car will still be yours. Probably most significantly, you may have to report to the lending company that you no longer have a co-signer to cover you in case of default. Now, the odds are that if you are a responsible enough person to do this in the first place, you have been sure to make your payments. In that case you should have no problems; heres why.
Remember that the reason you had to have a co-signer in the first place was due to bad or no credit (probably no credit record). Once you have been making payments on a loan, however, you have established a credit record. Lending companies now have a basis on which to approve you for a loan, so you will probably be able to secure the loan without the need of a co-signer.
Of course, most people will probably not even think of informing the lending company should a co-signer die; as long as you continue to make your payments, this will not be an issue. If you do default, though, and the co-signer is responsible, your car will become part of the estate.
How Can One Get An Auto Loan With Zero Credit History?
There are millions of people affected by the recent credit crunch and the global economic recession. No wonder, there are bountiful numbers of persons who have got a staggering bad credit history because of the job loss and pay cuts. However, the world economies are gaining back their momentum sooner than expected. The governments still support the stimulus packages which create a healthy atmosphere for the banks to offer more numbers of loans. People are very much encouraged to take up loans at cheaper interest rates. Generally, lenders will hesitate to offer loans to borrowers with bad credit history or zero credit history. Lenders will try to neglect auto loans for people with zero credit history. One of the best ways to obtain loans is to start building a good credit score.
A co-signer might help to obtain the loans. A co-signer is the person who is willing to pay the loan in case if the borrower fails to do it. He acts as a guarantee while obtaining the loan. Building a good credit score will not take too longer and there are lot more easier ways to do it. The first step to be done is obtain a secured credit card. It is important to make the first few payments very promptly. Repeating this process for fewer months will substantially improve the credit scores. This might be a supporting factor at the time of obtained auto loans with zero credit history. This condition does not exist when you make your credit cards payment properly.
Online lenders can be of immense help to obtain the loans. Online financing will save time and money in a better way. This is due to the fact that most of the online lenders work below the subprime rates and act as subprime auto lenders. Individuals who have zero credit history can approach such organizations and get approval. However, the interest rates might be higher. Making comparisons and obtaining quotes from 3 or more online lenders will put the consumers in the drivers seat and help them to secure a better interest rate. The market faces a stiff competition from various lenders. Hence, the consumers should make use of this opportunity to buy their dream vehicle.
The present market conditions help the consumer to obtain auto loans with zero credit history or even after bankruptcy. This comes at a cost of higher interest rates. A co-signer will help to obtain the loan hassle free. Times have changed now and it is not mandatory to have a co-signer to get the loan. These can also act as the stepping stones to build up the credit history. The monthly payments can be adjusted according to the income level. The loan amount might go up if it is an unsecured loan. Gone are the days where lenders and banks demanded lots of documents and procedures to sign up for an auto loan with zero credit history. People can easily step down their streets to take delivery of their dream vehicle within 2 or 3 days of time if they do their research work efficiently.