Tag Archives: officers
Top 5 Refinance Tips Your Loan Officer Doesn't Want You To Know (Page 1 of 2)
Yes! Getting a loan these days can be scary. Even experienced borrowers have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous loan officers. Don’t let it happen to you. I have five must read tips to fend off a potential loan disaster.
Before reading the tips, keep in mind there are credible, ethical, good guy (and gal) loan officers across America and they’re just as mad as you are about the rats that feed off of unsuspecting people. Make no mistake; great loan officers know it is in their best interest to make sure you are an informed borrower.
Here are some things BAD loan officers do:
· Manipulate borrowers to take loans and rates that pay the loan officer more than what is agreed upon.
· Charge much more in origination using random excuses (your credit’s not good enough, you can’t verify your income, you’re getting cash out, etc.)
· Convince people to do a loan when it’s not in their best interest.
Let’s weed out the bad guys! Here are the five tips…
Tip 1: Interview your loan officer
Ask for more than just rates. Bad loan officers will tell you anything to keep you on the phone — then change the details to suit them later. Instead, make them get real with you! Ask how long they’ve been in the industry. Probe them about their experience in the industry. Also, ask what their opinion is on the current market and where it’s going.
Listen closely. Do they have the patience to answer your questions or do they seem annoyed. Is their voice hesitant? Unsure? Pay attention to your instincts. If you have a “funny” feeling in the pit of your stomach, chances are you should move on. (More questions to ask while interviewing located in the free eBook)
Tip 2: Make sure the loan is in your best interest
Here’s the deal… most loan officers are paid on commission (many on commission only). That means they don’t get paid unless they complete a loan with you. The problem is “their loan” may not be in your best interest. You need to look at what’s being presented and decide if it meets your needs. Some things you should consider: How much is the loan costing you? Is there a term reduction? Are you adding too much to your balance?
You should do a cost-to-savings benefit analysis. This is where you take the total cost of the loan and compare it to the benefits of the loan (monthly savings, cash out, term reduction, etc). This will help you determine if the loan is worth it to you. (See examples of cost-to-savings benefit analysis in the free e-Book)
Tip 3: Consider your loan options carefully
You may be saying, “Yikes! There are so many to sort out!” True… there are many different loans out there to consider: 5/1, 7/1, 10/1 ARMs (Adjustable Rate Mortgages)… 30Yr, 20Yr and 15Yr Fixed rates… Neg Ams, Hybrid Option Arms, Helocs, etc. But, keep in mind that each loan has its own unique purpose and function. Choice is good and it’s the loan officer’s job to help you find the best loan for your purpose. That’s why it’s important that your loan officer explains the loans they are presenting in FULL detail. Again, take notes. Ask questions until you feel comfortable with the options presented.
Payday Loans At War?
If you were perhaps of a more cynical nature, and were looking for an ideal target market for your payday loans business, how would this scenario sound to you?
How about people working in a business where the paychecks are absolutely guaranteed to come in on time each and every month, no matter what?
A business with a large, relatively immobile workforce, who tend to stay in one place for predetermined periods of time, and who will, moreover, have plenty of notice that will move, should that happen.
A business whose workforce is overwhelmingly comprised of young, who are perhaps not too worldly wise, and who are used to doing what they are told to do, when they are old to do it.
I guess that, were you that somewhat cynical payday loan company owner, this would sound pretty good to you, right? Perhaps that is why most military bases in the USA are now almost surrounded by payday loan outlets.
At a time when ever increasing military demands are being made of young army and navy personnel by the continuing Iraq conflict, Senior Military Officers are increasingly concerned about the additional stresses on the servicemen and women caused by the prevalence of outstanding payday loans.
Whilst the payday loan companies themselves deny that they specifically target military personnel, it is hard to actually believe that to be the case, simply from looking at the concentration of payday loan outlets near most military bases.
Stories of both Army and Navy officers falling prey to such lenders are fairly easy to come by, and of course, the last thing that such soldiers, sailors and officers need at a time of war are the additional stresses placed on them by increasing debts.
In fact, the problem has now got so bad that many military bases are running training courses in responsible personal financial management, a key module of which is teaching the younger servicemen and women about payday loans.
In particular, these courses are designed to teach the students how it is probably best to avoid payday loans completely if at all possible, or, if not, how to deal with them responsibly.
Of course, this cannot get away from the fact that military personnel are no different to anyone else, and they will have times of cash flow problems, just the same as their none military counterparts.
And this is equally not saying that payday loans are of themselves a bad thing. Anyone who has used such a loan to dig themselves out of a hole will probably have no problems with payday loans, on one proviso. That is, that they paid it back in time!
Unfortunately, whether the payday loans companies concur or not, there does seem reasonable empirical evidence to suggest that perhaps they are unusually willing to extend such loans to military personnel.
Personnel whose very existence depends on them being able to concentrate 100% on the task in hand, who, perhaps morally, should not be placed under any additional external pressures.
The fact is that payday loans for military personnel are big business, and they do serve a real purpose for the beneficiaries of such loans.
However, there can be no denying that military personnel are not like other people who take payday loans, and it is good to see that the powers that be have taken this on board, and are attempting to deal with it through additional training and education.