Loan rates have rocketed
Consumers are being warned that over the past few months the interest rates charges on personal loans have rocketed, and rates are now well over double the official base rate of 2 percent, with more than a 5 percent margin between the base rate and the average rate of interest charged on these loans. In just a couple of months the gap between the rates charges on loans and the base rate has widened considerably, leaving consumers paying way over the odds on some personal loans.
One industry official said: “Loan costs are often overlooked in the frenzy of a base rate cut, when the focus is on the impact of any rate movement on mortgage payments and savings rates. What our calculations clearly show is that the cost of a personal loan is as apparently uncorrelated to base rate as mortgage rates are. The key difference though, is that mortgages are priced according to LIBOR rather than base rate – loan rates are not.”
He went on to state: “Whilst personal loans are often seen as the ‘poor man’ of everyday financial products, there is always a spike of activity post-Christmas and into the New Year when consumers take their finances in hand, and turn over that new leaf. Invariably this involves consolidation of store cards, credit cards and overdrafts. However, loans are not the cheap form of borrowing they once were. In the last two weeks, we’ve seen three of the top loan providers – Tesco, Asda and Yourpersonalloan increased their rates by as much as 0.3 per cent, despite base rate dropping by 1.5 per cent.”
He added: “The Competition Commission’s recommendations on the sale of PPI last week will undoubtedly result in loan rates soaring next year, perhaps up to around ten per cent, which means they won’t be that much more competitive than credit cards. However, it’s likely we could see one or two downward rate movements after Christmas as providers seek to attract those with New Year’s resolutions of the financial kind, but borrowers need to keep a close eye out for the best deals and ensure they only apply for products they’re likely to be accepted for.”
He continued, “This is where our SmartSearch tool will help – enter a few basic details and we’ll point you towards loans you are likely to be eligible for with your credit history. With lending criteria becoming more and more stringent, it’s important to keep your credit record as clean as possible and not taint it with failed applications for loans.”
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