Refinance and Debt Consolidation

BILL'S ANSWER

What you seek is a mortgage refinance in which you remove equity from your property to use to pay another debt. This is commonly called a cash-out refinance.

A mortgage refinance will carry a lower interest rate than your credit card or vehicle loan rates, and the interest paid is tax deductible. It is important to be aware that shifting unsecured debt to secured debt can create a volatile situation. If there is ever a chance you cannot afford the new mortgage payment you are now putting yourself at risk of foreclosure! In the case of a debt consolidation loan, most mortgages are 30-year loans, which means the total cost and the time to debt freedom could be very high. On the other hand, the monthly payment will be lower than other options, such as credit card counseling, and there is no credit rating impact to a mortgage refinance.

As you no doubt recall, a mortgage lender wants three things from a potential customer: Steady income, a relatively clean recent credit history, and a debt-to-income ratio of 35% or less. Customers who qualify for a mortgage or a mortgage refinance have all three of these qualities, plus a down-payment in the case of a mortgage.

A refinance is almost exactly the same. You need to do some homework to see if you qualify. Start with the Bills.com article How Do I Get a Mortgage Refinance Loan? Next, I recommend you download a Uniform Residential Loan Application (Form 1003), complete it, and start your refinance mortgage loan shopping. Then, go to the Bills.com mortgage refinance saving center for no-cost, pre-screened quotes from mortgage refinance lenders.

Other Debt Resolution Options

You have other options to consider if a mortgage refinance does not meet your needs. Since there are a variety of debt resolution options, including credit counseling, debt negotiation/debt settlement, a debt consolidation loan, bankruptcy, and other debt resolution options, it is important to fully understand each option and then pick the solution that is right for you.

Credit Counseling

Credit counseling, or signing up for a debt management plan, is a very common form of debt consolidation. There are many companies offering credit counseling, which is essentially a way to make one payment directly to the credit counseling agency, which then distributes that payment to your creditors. Most times, a credit counseling agency will be able to lower your monthly payments by getting interest rate concessions from your lenders or creditors.

It is important to understand that in a credit counseling program, you are still repaying 100% of your debts -- but with lower monthly payments. On average, most credit counseling programs take around five years. While most credit counseling programs do not impact your FICO score, being enrolled in a credit counseling debt management plan does show up on your credit report, and, unfortunately, many lenders look at enrollment in credit counseling akin to filing for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy -- or using a third party to re-organize your debts.

Debt Settlement

Debt settlement, also called debt negotiation, is a form of debt consolidation that cuts your total debt, sometimes over 50%, with lower monthly payments. Debt settlement programs typically run around three years. It is important to keep in mind, however, that during the life of your debt settlement program, you are not paying your creditors. This means that a debt settlement solution of debt consolidation will negatively impact your credit rating. Your credit rating will not be good, at a minimum, for the term of your debt settlement program. However, debt settlement is usually the fastest and cheapest way to debt freedom, with a low monthly payment, while avoiding Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. The trade-off here is a negative credit rating versus saving money.

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy may also solve your debt problems. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a traditional liquidation of assets and liabilities, and is usually considered a last resort. Since bankruptcy reform went into effect, it is much harder to file for bankruptcy. If you are considering bankruptcy, I encourage you to consult with a qualified bankruptcy attorney in your area.

Recommendation

Although there are many forms of debt consolidation, many people with good to perfect credit who own homes should look into debt consolidation loans, while consumers with high credit card debt and poor credit may want to explore debt settlement or debt negotiation. However, each consumer is different, so find the debt consolidation option that fits for you.

Lastly, here are some fast tips for your own quick Debt Consolidation Evaluator:

1. If you have perfect credit and have equity in your home -- consider a Mortgage Refinance.

2. If you can afford a healthy monthly payment (about 3 percent of your total debt each month) and you want to protect yourself from collection and from going delinquent -- consider Credit Counseling.

3. If you want the lowest monthly payment and want to get debt free for a low cost and short amount of time, AND you are willing to deal with adverse credit impacts and collections -- then evaluate Debt Settlement.

4. If you cannot afford anything in a monthly payment (less than 1.5 percent of your total debt each month) -- consider Bankruptcy to see if Chapter 7 might be right for you.

I hope this information helps you Find. Learn & Save.

Best,

Bill

Bills.com