Bridging Finance Guide – What is a Bridging Loan?
July 8, 2009 by Zimmaron
Filed under Uncategorized
What is a Bridging Loan?
A Bridging Loan is short term funding to provide temporary financing until more permanent finance can be found. Bridging Loans are available for a whole range of financial requirements and can be on the basis of a 1st, 2nd or even 3rd charge equity release, usually provided for any legal purpose.
Examples:
Commercial & Residential Purchase Commercial & Residential Refinance Auction Purchases Capital Raising * Chain Breaking Refurbishment Speculative Deals Business Cash Injection Defective Property
* Capital raising funds can be used for many reasons including holidays, overseas property investment and tax bills etc.
Security
Residential Property Commercial Property Land (with or without planning permission in place) Real Property (such as Plant machinery)
Bridging Loans carry a higher interest rate than standard mortgage lending and at the offer of loan stage there will be an agreed term of repayment, normally between one day and two years.
Bridging Loans are most commonly used when the financing requirement is urgent and beyond the timescales that a standard mortgage lender or bank could provide. In some cases Bridging Lenders can provide funds within 24 hours. Another common use of bridging finance would be to fund the purchase a new home prior to the existing property being sold.
Characteristics
Bridge loans will almost certainly carry higher fees which can include:
Administration Fees Arrangement Fees Legal Fees Completion Fees Valuation Fees Exit Fees ** Broker Fees (normally non-disclosed)
** A fee charged to redeem the loan, typically equivalent to one month’s interest payment.
As most bridging Loans are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority the above fees can vary substantially as they fall within no boundaries or guidelines, only competitive pricing.
Application
Bridging Lenders will consider loans to discharged bankrupts and clients with adverse credit such as CCJs and IVAs. They will lend to individuals as well as Businesses, Ltd Companies and tax efficient vehicles such as SPVs.
Variations
Bridging Loans are split into two main categories:
Closed Bridging Finance
At the time the funds are drawn down there is a firm exit in place to repay the loan normally within a short period of time. The most common use of Closed Bridging Finance would be the pending sale of an existing property on which contracts have been signed and exchanged/missives concluded
Open Bridging Finance
At the time the funds are drawn down there is no fixed exit or repayment method for the lenders comfort, only an agreed maximum term that the loan can run for. Seen as higher risk than closed Bridging Finance it is therefore more expensive.
Other forms of short term finance:
Mezzanine Finance
Often a combination of debt and equity stake which is typically used to finance the expansion of existing companies. To secure mezzanine finance the business would normally have to demonstrate a track record in the industry with an established reputation and product, a history of profitability and a viable expansion plan for the business (e.g. expansions, acquisitions, IPO).
Lenders
There are over 20 Primary Bridging Lenders in the UK that are able to lend their own funds and therefore set their own criteria of risk.
Private Financers
Should Bridging Lenders decline to lend, Private debt and equity financers can be sort to provide funding for the examples above. This type of finance is normally very expensive.
Specific Uses
A Bridging Loan can be used as a Below Market Value (BMV) purchase instrument where the initial purchase takes place at the lower purchase price allowing a subsequent refinance application to be placed with a mainstream lender for borrowing based on the Open Market Value of the property with the purpose of releasing the difference in equity between the purchase price of the property and the higher resulting remortgage loan.
Costs
Bridging Loans typically cost between 1-2% per month. Variable rates with margins over Libor can sometimes be applied as an alternative or an addition.
Find an Independent Bridging Finance Broker to give you all the available options.
By: Ben Randall
About the Author:
A Bridging Loan is short term funding to provide temporary financing until more permanent finance can be found. Bridging Loans are available for a whole range of financial requirements and can be on the basis of a 1st, 2nd or even 3rd charge equity release, usually provided for any legal purpose.
Examples:
Commercial & Residential Purchase Commercial & Residential Refinance Auction Purchases Capital Raising * Chain Breaking Refurbishment Speculative Deals Business Cash Injection Defective Property
* Capital raising funds can be used for many reasons including holidays, overseas property investment and tax bills etc.
Security
Residential Property Commercial Property Land (with or without planning permission in place) Real Property (such as Plant machinery)
Bridging Loans carry a higher interest rate than standard mortgage lending and at the offer of loan stage there will be an agreed term of repayment, normally between one day and two years.
Bridging Loans are most commonly used when the financing requirement is urgent and beyond the timescales that a standard mortgage lender or bank could provide. In some cases Bridging Lenders can provide funds within 24 hours. Another common use of bridging finance would be to fund the purchase a new home prior to the existing property being sold.
Characteristics
Bridge loans will almost certainly carry higher fees which can include:
Administration Fees Arrangement Fees Legal Fees Completion Fees Valuation Fees Exit Fees ** Broker Fees (normally non-disclosed)
** A fee charged to redeem the loan, typically equivalent to one month’s interest payment.
As most bridging Loans are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority the above fees can vary substantially as they fall within no boundaries or guidelines, only competitive pricing.
Application
Bridging Lenders will consider loans to discharged bankrupts and clients with adverse credit such as CCJs and IVAs. They will lend to individuals as well as Businesses, Ltd Companies and tax efficient vehicles such as SPVs.
Variations
Bridging Loans are split into two main categories:
Closed Bridging Finance
At the time the funds are drawn down there is a firm exit in place to repay the loan normally within a short period of time. The most common use of Closed Bridging Finance would be the pending sale of an existing property on which contracts have been signed and exchanged/missives concluded
Open Bridging Finance
At the time the funds are drawn down there is no fixed exit or repayment method for the lenders comfort, only an agreed maximum term that the loan can run for. Seen as higher risk than closed Bridging Finance it is therefore more expensive.
Other forms of short term finance:
Mezzanine Finance
Often a combination of debt and equity stake which is typically used to finance the expansion of existing companies. To secure mezzanine finance the business would normally have to demonstrate a track record in the industry with an established reputation and product, a history of profitability and a viable expansion plan for the business (e.g. expansions, acquisitions, IPO).
Lenders
There are over 20 Primary Bridging Lenders in the UK that are able to lend their own funds and therefore set their own criteria of risk.
Private Financers
Should Bridging Lenders decline to lend, Private debt and equity financers can be sort to provide funding for the examples above. This type of finance is normally very expensive.
Specific Uses
A Bridging Loan can be used as a Below Market Value (BMV) purchase instrument where the initial purchase takes place at the lower purchase price allowing a subsequent refinance application to be placed with a mainstream lender for borrowing based on the Open Market Value of the property with the purpose of releasing the difference in equity between the purchase price of the property and the higher resulting remortgage loan.
Costs
Bridging Loans typically cost between 1-2% per month. Variable rates with margins over Libor can sometimes be applied as an alternative or an addition.
Find an Independent Bridging Finance Broker to give you all the available options.
By: Ben Randall
About the Author:
UK Finance Broker specialising in Niche Lending for individuals, Businesses and Professional Landlords.
Car Finance Secured or Unsecured?
June 26, 2009 by Zimmaron
Filed under Personal Finance
Ever wondered what the difference is between secured car loans and personal unsecured car loans and how that difference affects your finance and their repayments. The car loans terms can be only minor, but is larger when the true cost of each is taken into account.
Before discussing secured and unsecured car loans in more detail, let’s first have a look at the various workings that determine the cost of your loan and of your monthly repayments. The cost of the car finance package is the total you repay less the loan amount borrowed. Hence, let’s say you are repaying $20,000 at 12% interest rate over 36 months; you will repay at the rate of $664.29 per month. That would total a repayment of $23,914.44, and the cost of the loan would be $3,914.44 plus any set-up or administration fees. A car finance calculator will enable you to work this out for yourself.
An substitute to a car finance would be car hire purchase (HP), where you hire the car over the repayment period and get the title to the motor car with your final payment. Until then the car belongs to the HP company.
However, most finances are either secured or unsecured, and not all finance companies offer unsecured or personal loans so let’s look at secured car finance first. Secured car loans is one whereby the lender offers the loan with the car as security. If you fail to make payments, the lender can sell the car to recoup their money. It is possible to get a secured car loan when the motor vehicle gets past a certain age, often 7 years, but the car finance term or loan term may be requested to be shorter than the standard 5 yearsor not at all by using your home or some other form of security. These however are not strictly classed as a car loan. normally the car is used as security over the loan.
If you prefer you can request no deposit car finance and have all on-road costs added to the amount financed. Options like registration , loan protection insurance for disability,death or unemploymentand comprehensive auto insurance as part of the financing deal. Loan insurance makes sure that the loan is paid off in the event of your death during the loan period, and comprehensive car insurance is needed to make sure that the car is in good condition should it be needed to repay the finance in the event of you having your car repossessed.
This might look hard , but these are standard conditions for any secured loan, not only car loans. Secured car loans terms are from 1-7years, and the interest rate will be lower than that for an unsecured car finance where the financier charges extra to compensate for their added risk. As with any loan, a deposit will result in lower payments, or a shorter term, whichever you prefer.
Balloon payments could be an option on your finance package, which is like a deposit in reverse, payable at the end of the period. This is popular by those whose income will increase over the period, and they will be in a better financial position to pay a lump sum in 3 – 5 years time. This too results in either a lower monthly repayment or a shorter repayment term.
If you are buying a used motor vehicle, your car loans intererst rates can be priced very differentlyaccording to the finance company and the age of your car. Many will charge higher loan rates, and the current credit crisis has changed the outlook of many lenders to unsecured car loans in particular. Many no longer offer unsecured car finance due to the increased risk in the current economic climate.
However, they are still available, and some car loan brokers can ensure you get the best unsecured car loan available. In addition to the interest rate on such loans, you should also evaluate the fees charged, since they can involve a considerable outlay for you before you get the loan.
The key differences between secured and unsecured car finance, therefore, can be summed up as:
Secured car finance are cheaper to repay, with normally lower rates.
You need to have full comprehensive car insurance with all secured car loans, while unsecured financing does not.
Both loans could require deathinsurance cover for the finance, but secured car finance packages are more likely to.
You can sometimes include comprehensive insurance, registration and other costs in the secured loan, but with an unsecured car loan you must include the the costs on top of the amount borrowed.
Fees for unsecured car loans can be significantly higher than for secured car loans.
Not all finance companies will offer unsecured auto loans.
There few doubts that if your vehicle is young enough to be given a loan with the car as colateral, then that should be your option. You might be able to arrange a secured loan for an older vehicle with your residential home as security, but you will have to make sure to maintain the payments since lenders are becoming unsympathetic in the current economic crissis.
By: Rik Johns
About the Author:
Before discussing secured and unsecured car loans in more detail, let’s first have a look at the various workings that determine the cost of your loan and of your monthly repayments. The cost of the car finance package is the total you repay less the loan amount borrowed. Hence, let’s say you are repaying $20,000 at 12% interest rate over 36 months; you will repay at the rate of $664.29 per month. That would total a repayment of $23,914.44, and the cost of the loan would be $3,914.44 plus any set-up or administration fees. A car finance calculator will enable you to work this out for yourself.
An substitute to a car finance would be car hire purchase (HP), where you hire the car over the repayment period and get the title to the motor car with your final payment. Until then the car belongs to the HP company.
However, most finances are either secured or unsecured, and not all finance companies offer unsecured or personal loans so let’s look at secured car finance first. Secured car loans is one whereby the lender offers the loan with the car as security. If you fail to make payments, the lender can sell the car to recoup their money. It is possible to get a secured car loan when the motor vehicle gets past a certain age, often 7 years, but the car finance term or loan term may be requested to be shorter than the standard 5 yearsor not at all by using your home or some other form of security. These however are not strictly classed as a car loan. normally the car is used as security over the loan.
If you prefer you can request no deposit car finance and have all on-road costs added to the amount financed. Options like registration , loan protection insurance for disability,death or unemploymentand comprehensive auto insurance as part of the financing deal. Loan insurance makes sure that the loan is paid off in the event of your death during the loan period, and comprehensive car insurance is needed to make sure that the car is in good condition should it be needed to repay the finance in the event of you having your car repossessed.
This might look hard , but these are standard conditions for any secured loan, not only car loans. Secured car loans terms are from 1-7years, and the interest rate will be lower than that for an unsecured car finance where the financier charges extra to compensate for their added risk. As with any loan, a deposit will result in lower payments, or a shorter term, whichever you prefer.
Balloon payments could be an option on your finance package, which is like a deposit in reverse, payable at the end of the period. This is popular by those whose income will increase over the period, and they will be in a better financial position to pay a lump sum in 3 – 5 years time. This too results in either a lower monthly repayment or a shorter repayment term.
If you are buying a used motor vehicle, your car loans intererst rates can be priced very differentlyaccording to the finance company and the age of your car. Many will charge higher loan rates, and the current credit crisis has changed the outlook of many lenders to unsecured car loans in particular. Many no longer offer unsecured car finance due to the increased risk in the current economic climate.
However, they are still available, and some car loan brokers can ensure you get the best unsecured car loan available. In addition to the interest rate on such loans, you should also evaluate the fees charged, since they can involve a considerable outlay for you before you get the loan.
The key differences between secured and unsecured car finance, therefore, can be summed up as:
Secured car finance are cheaper to repay, with normally lower rates.
You need to have full comprehensive car insurance with all secured car loans, while unsecured financing does not.
Both loans could require deathinsurance cover for the finance, but secured car finance packages are more likely to.
You can sometimes include comprehensive insurance, registration and other costs in the secured loan, but with an unsecured car loan you must include the the costs on top of the amount borrowed.
Fees for unsecured car loans can be significantly higher than for secured car loans.
Not all finance companies will offer unsecured auto loans.
There few doubts that if your vehicle is young enough to be given a loan with the car as colateral, then that should be your option. You might be able to arrange a secured loan for an older vehicle with your residential home as security, but you will have to make sure to maintain the payments since lenders are becoming unsympathetic in the current economic crissis.
By: Rik Johns
About the Author:
Car finance Calculators is a website in Australia providing car finance information online. Use their car finance calculator to get car loans repayments.