Search
Recommended Products
Related Links


 

 

Informative Articles

10 Tips To Prevent Credit Card Fraud
Imagine opening your credit card statement one morning and discovering to your horror that you suddenly owe thousands of dollars - on purchases that you never made. Impossible? Credit card fraud on the rise, so you need to treat your card and...

Credit Counseling – Get in Line Now to Avoid the Upcoming Rush
Credit counseling is a valuable service for consumers who have trouble managing their finances. A distinctly different service from debt consolidation, credit counseling assists consumers with problem debt by educating them about the basics of...

Credit Counseling Services Checklist
There are credit counseling agencies that rescue people from the deepest financial holes. There are also credit counseling agencies that just shovel in more dirt. How do you tell them apart? by Joel Walsh Signs of a Reliable Credit Counseling...

How To Establish Credit
It's been a Catch-22 dilemma, especially for young people, since the dawn of the Credit Age. You want credit, but you can't get credit because you've never had credit before. It's a situation everyone faces as they begin to try to become...

Why Some People Never Have Problems With Credit Bureaus
Credit bureaus watch all of us all of the time. If we simply turned over our homeland security to the credit bureaus we would have a huge staff dedicated to stopping terrorists rather than finding out whether we have a handle on asset management or...

 
Google
Bad Credit Mortgage Lenders - The 3 Most Common Subprime Lending Scams

Legitimate sub-prime lenders provide a needed service to many wishing to buy a home. By offering financing to those with adverse credit, sub-prime lenders offer a valuable financing options. However, predatory lenders take advantage of people with poor credit by charging excessive fees, forcing foreclosures, or demanding titles. To protect yourself in your home loan search, avoid these common mortgage scams.

Excessive Interest Rates And Fees

Predatory loans require a borrower to pay excessive upfront costs or high fees. Some state laws protect consumers by putting caps on interest rates or fees. If you have bad credit, you should be paying no more than 8% higher than a conventional loan. Limits on closing costs vary, but anything more than five points should be viewed suspiciously.

Forcing Foreclosures

Another lending scam involves lending to people so they will be forced into foreclosures. These types of loans typically have monthly payments so high, you can't possibly pay them. They lure people in by promising guarantee approval or cashing out your equity, but they charge high interest rates. Before you sign a loan, be sure you can afford the monthly payments.

Demanding Title

A growing scam involves supposedly refinancing your mortgage, but in reality they scammer is pocketing your cash and title. There are many variations on this


scam, but usually these con-artists will solicit those who have liens against their property or received a foreclosure notice. They make a promise of solving all your financial problems if you turn over your title and pay an up front fee.

The scammer will then file for bankruptcy in your name that will be dismissed since a third party initiated the process, but it will still leave a mark on your credit report. The scammer will also take mortgage payments from you, even though they didn't pay off the first mortgage. In the end you may lose your house.

Protect Yourself

Protect yourself from these scams by being a savvy shopper. Request quotes from several lenders before picking one. If you have any questions, talk with the lending company. Legitimate lenders will be happy to explain the process and answer any of your questions.

Once you pick a lender, be sure you read all forms before you sign the paperwork. According to federal law, you have three days to cancel your mortgage after settlement. You will also be refunded all fees, except the application fee.

About the author:

See my recommended Su bprime Mortgage Lenders online. Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, which offers help with loans for people with bad credit.