Tag Archives: initial
Interest Only Loan Rate
Interest only (IO) loans are loans that provide the option to pay just the interest on a loan for an initial period of repayment, say 5 years or 10 years. It also gives the choice of paying the interest plus as much principal as you want. The main advantage of this loan is the low interest you pay each month even though the interest rate is the same as that on conventional loans. IO loans also help to control the monthly payment and cash flow each month. After the initial period, the repayments are raised to fully amortized levels. These loans allow for a large principle prepayment if desired.
Interest only loans can be fixed-rate mortgages (FRM) or adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM). Though it is generally felt that interest only loans have lower interest rates, this is not true. In fact, they may have higher rates, because the risk is greater in IO loans. While going for an interest only loan with adjustable rates, it is very important to consider what the future interest rates are likely to be. This is because repayment in the future will consist of both interest as well as the principle.
For interest only loans based on the adjustable mortgage rates, the interest rate is calculated and changed based on the index rate. The Index rate depends on the average of Interbank offered rates for one year US dollar –denominated deposits in the LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate). This Index is published in the Wall Street Journal. The interest rate is adjusted according to the index plus the margin (rounded to the nearest 1/8 percentage point). The interest rate cannot change by more than 5.00 percentage points than the initial interest rate over the whole term of the loan. Similarly, it cannot decrease less than the margin on the loan. Interest only loan products can be 30, 20, 15 or 10 year fixed mortgage with varying adjustable rates.
With increasing real estate prices, interest-only loans are becoming a preferred option for many. There are also many lending companies that are giving attractive options on interest-only loans. Information about interest-only loans is available on the Internet. They also contain easy-to-use interest only calculators that tell you the kind of repayments you will have to make. The current interest rates on interest only loans are also available on the Internet.
Green Dot Prepaid Credit Card – Review
The Green Dot Credit Card is a prepaid card. This may be unfamiliar so let me explain the basics.
This is not like an unsecured card where the company issues it and attaches a limit on which they then charge interest as it is used. With this you must deposit money and then that amount then becomes your limit.
Instead of making purchases and paying for them later and the interest rate and associated fees. You pay beforehand by loading cash amounts. The issuer is Columbus Bank and Trust Company.
You will need to reload funds onto the card. The minimum amount of the initial load is $20 and the maximum amount of the initial load is $2,500.
You can not have more than $2,500 loaded on the card at any given time. To reload your Green Dot card, you may have a portion of your paycheck directly deposited to your card or you may purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak universal reload from locations such as Rite Aid, CVS, Eckerd, Radio Shack, The Pantry and other participating merchants. The MoneyPak costs $4.95.
You will be charged a $4.95 per month maintenance fee, $2.50 for each ATM transaction ($3.00 per international ATM transaction, $4.00 per cash advance from a teller or non-ATM transaction), up to $1.00 per call to obtain your balance using the interactive voice response system or a live operator, and $10 fee to replace a lost or stolen card. Always be sure to read the Terms and Conditions before applying.
Columbus Bank and Trust Company also offer a Premier version of this card. Be sure to research the Premier card fees before moving forward.
Fees include a one-time $19.95 membership enrollment fee and a $5.00 fee per month if you do not load $750 per month to the card. Additional charges may accrue if you use an ATM.
Likewise, if you purchase one of these cards at a store, the retailer will charge an initial activation fee and a reload fee. Be sure to check with the retailer for the costs involved with purchasing one of these cards.
I do not suggest these cards, however it depend on your situation and why you need the card. Again, personally, I don’t really feel that I want to pay to call someone’s answering machine.
I also don’t want to pay $5 per month merely because I don’t reload $750 per month. I believe I should be the one to decide how much a balance I want to maintain.
Additionally, there are other cards which allow more flexibility as to reload options.