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Having good credit is very important for all individuals because it is going to affect your ability to purchase things in the future. If you have decent credit, you may be able to get a credit card but it will have high interest applied to it. You may be able to buy a vehicle or qualify for a home loan, but you are going to pay more in interest for them as well. All of these scenarios are going to cost you more money in the long run - and it can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some people turn to a co-signer because they have simply been frivolous with their credit. They haven't made it a priority to repay things when they should and as a result they can't get any other credit. For others, they had every intention of repaying their loans as agreed. However, life through them some fast curve balls that made it impossible to do. A third category is those that have never had credit so there is nothing to measure them by in the eyes of a lender. Many individuals that fall into such situations turn to a trusted friend or family member to co-sign on the loan for them. This means that those individuals are also responsible for the debt that has been incurred. You need to think very carefully before you commit to doing something like this. If the other party defaults on the loan, you will be held responsible to repay it. Is this something you want to commit to for any length of time? Some individuals have found being a co-signer on a loan makes it difficult for them to get a loan of their own. It can also be very stressful for the relationship when one individual is a co-signer. Seeing someone blowing their money and not making those payments can result in the relationship not being salvageable. Even when the other party is doing a fabulous job of making the payments, there can still be issues you need to be aware of. You don't want your next credit application to be turned down because the lender is using a calculation that shows your debt ratio compared to your income is too high. They will likely be including all of what is due on that loan you co-signed on. If it is a high dollar amount as a well as has a long term applied to it, this could be damage you can't offset. As you can see, there are many issues to consider when you are thinking about being a co-signer. If you have a bad feeling about it, then trust your gut reaction and don't get involved. You may feel better making such a decision after you have talked in detail about the specifics of the loan. Some people just have a pattern in their history of not paying their bills so you want to steer clear of co-signing anything for them. The best advice I can give you if you do want to be a co-signer for someone is to stay on top of the information. Work with the lender too so you can get notices of payments that have been made, the amount due, and any past due issues. You can also have the individual give you a copy of their canceled check or the money order statement so you know each payment is being made on time. They may not like doing this, but they need to understand what is on the line for you and respect it. Some individuals just aren't comfortable co-signing on loans for anyone. This is a personal choice and it should be respected. If you don't feel confident that they individual is going to repay the loan then don't co-sign for them. If you also know you can't cover the payment, then don't do it. They may be able to pay the loan right now but that may not be the case six months from now.
Article Source: http://www.articlegush.com
Robert Bain is fascinated by the secret credit industry. He follows personal credit related issues such as credit cards, debt relief, home owners loans, bad credit repair and scams.
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