13th February 2023 - 6 min read
There will be a time when you’ll need a sum of cash in hand that you may not have at that moment. For whatever reason you need them, one of the fastest ways to get the cash you need is to apply for a personal loan from your friendly neighbourhood bank.
Whilst many people know about personal loans – that is, they know it’s a way to get money – very few realise what they are signing up for when they sign on the dotted line.
So before you so, take a quick look at our simplified, no-holds-barred look at personal loans.
Banks are in the business of lending for big ticket items, such as houses and cars. With this kind of borrowing the banks use the asset (the house or car) as a ‘guarantee’ for repayment. So if you don’t repay, they will take possession of your property.
But what if you just need money – not for any big purchase but lots of little ones? Or for an emergency? Or maybe you need cash for home renovations or even to further your studies. Unfortunately, you can’t put your upcoming Master’s degree down as security.
This is where personal loans can be useful. With a personal loan you can pretty much do anything you like with the money lent to you. But because the bank does not have an asset to secure your repayment, personal loans are harder to get approved, and often come with high interest rates.
The bank is taking on a bigger risk by lending to you with no real guarantee of repayment, so as with any high-risk venture, they expect to be paid more for it. Wouldn’t you also want a higher return for a riskier investment portfolio?
Personal loan interest rates are often fixed and charged every year on the full amount you borrowed and not on a reducing balance like a home loan. This means that no matter how much of your loan you repay – even in the final year of payment – you will be paying the same amount of interest you did on day one.
Bank Negara Malaysia has set the maximum number of years for repayment at 10 years, though the usual amount of time banks will give you is between 7-8 years.
The first place you would look would of course be a commercial bank, be it local or foreign. The commercial banks are the preferred route for most people as the rates offered are lower than alternative lenders, like licensed moneylenders.
Banks are also licensed institutions regulated by Bank Negara and thus abide by government policy and lending laws. This applies both to conventional and syariah-compliant personal loans, so it’s the same if you apply for a CIMB Bank personal loan or a RHB Islamic personal loan.
Of course, a bank’s requirements for loan approval will be stringent and many checks will have to be done before you get your hands on some money.
Banks calculate all your payments to ensure you can afford them. If they have denied you a loan on the basis that your income is insufficient; it probably is just so.
Check out our FAQ on personal loans for answers to common queries.
Getting a personal loan can be a great help if you understand how to use it to your advantage. Interest rates are usually lower than a credit card; it offers you instant cash in cases when your card just won’t do the trick; and the structured payments allow you a more disciplined approach to repayment. Unlike a credit card where you are able to pay just the minimum, a personal loan requires you to pay a set amount, thus ensuring that you will pay off the loan in full at the end of the loan tenure.
When you really need cash for emergencies, a personal loan can be a life-saver. Just find the best loan for your needs and income with the lowest interest rate. Remember to try to pay off the amount as quickly as possible too.
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