Useful Financial Related Websites

Credit cards

If you currently have a debt on your credit card and you're not likely to pay it off in full over the next few months, it's probably worth switching to a new 0% balance transfer credit card. Recently many credit card providers have increased the time period they offer 0% interest on debt that customers switch from other cards, with some offering periods of 20 months or more. Bestukcreditcards.co.uk will let you compare the best 0% balance transfer credit cards. For those who don't carry a balance each month, you can find deals on cashback and rewards.

Loans

Personal loans have been much harder to come by since the start of the credit crunch in 2007. Banks are now looking first and foremost at reasons to refuse people and only those with the highest credit score are likely to be offered loans. This means that if you have even a slight blip on your borrowing history you may well be turned down. Worse still is people with a poor credit history who are likely to experience real difficulties with the the major lending institutions. However, even in the current financial climate, there are some specialist companies who will consider applications from people with poor credit history. The website poorcreditfinance.co.uk provide details on some of the bad credit personal loans which are currently available. However, as with all products which are aimed at individuals less than perfect credit history, the interest rates are considerably higher than compared to products available to excellent credit scorers.

The number of people taking out payday loans has risen dramatically in the past few years. Payday loans are small, short term loans designed to tide people over until they next get paid. Paydayloanscompared.co.uk provides a service where prospective borrowers can compare payday loan lenders to see what the level of interest charges are. They provide examples of what you would repay if you borrowed certain amounts. The interest rates for this type of borrowing are high compared to other types of loan, however if the money is paid back promptly on the next pay day is can be a useful short term fix to a cash flow problem. The problem arises if you roll over borrowing into a number of months as debts can quickly escalate.

People looking to purchase a property through an auction usually require access to funds to complete the transaction very quickly. Bridging finance and loans are often used as they are usually much quicker to arrange than a normal residential mortgage. They provide short term borrowing facilities, typically not longer than 9 months.

Insurance

A survey from Money Supermarket suggests around one third of people automatically renew their home insurance with their existing provider each year despite the fact they could save an average of £132 if they shopped around for a better deal. Visit besthomeinsurancedeals.co.uk to shop around for cheap home insurance deals. Also read useful articles and tips on how to cut the cost of cover.

Mortgages

As demand for rental property has increased as a consequence of the current depressed state of the housing marketing and with savings rates languishing at low levels, more and more people are considering buy to let as an investment. In addition to their own research, novice property investors may be wise to seek the advice of a specialist buy to let mortgage broker. They can provide valuable insight and recommend lenders who are likely to provide the finance necessary.