When considering a personal loan there is a choice to be made between secured or unsecured loans. This choice is available only to homeowners, so if you are a tenant your only option is an unsecured loan. This is the first benefit of unsecured loans:

1. Unsecured loans are available to tenants

Choosing a secured loan means that the loan is tied to your property. This creates problems when you want to move house (the secured loan will need to be repayed) and also if you get into difficulties making repayments which could put your property at risk of repossession. This is the second benefit of an unsecured loan:

2. Unsecured loans are not tied to your property

Unsecured loans also have some drawbacks which you need to be aware of when making a decision about them.

3. Unsecured loans have a maximum repayment term of 7 years

For small unsecured loans this will not represent too much of a problem but if you are looking at borrowing tens of thousands of pounds, for a new extension for instance, the repayments over seven years can be huge. Secured loans can be taken over 25 years meaning that your repayments will be reduced considerably.

4. Unsecured loans usually mean higher rates

Because lenders do not have any security to back up the loan they tend to charge higher interest rates to reflect the increased risk they are taking. Even with interest base rates at their lowest rate of 0.5%, APRs on unsecured loans are incredibly high. This is a consequence of the banking crisis which also affects number 5:

5. Unsecured loans are harder to get

Lenders are being more cautious (overcautious?) about who they lend to following their past bad decisions meaning that even people with good credit histories are finding it hard to get an unsecured loan at a decent rate.

At Unsecured Credit we offer our customers a choice of secured or unsecured loans. Although the market is difficult at the moment there are signs of recovery, with more lenders getting involved, and this does mean your chances of getting a loan are increased.

Using a broker like ourselves, rather than your bank, means that you have access to a number of lenders in one go backed up by our expertise in the loan market. One phone call or completing our simple online enquiry form is all it takes to get a free, no obligation quote.

With the mortgage market contracting so sharply following the banking crisis, many people are finding it difficult to get a mortgage. Even those who have had no problems in the past and are good credit risks are not finding it easy to source a mortgage from traditional lenders.

If you have had a mortgage refused, your best option is to seek out a mortgage broker who has more flexibility than a direct lender such as a bank or building society. This is because mortgage brokers deals with a number of lenders, each of whom offers different terms and will accept different applicants.

A good mortgage broker will keep abreast of all of the latest mortgage deals and should know quickly whether there is a lender who will accommodate your particular circumstances. This means you do not have to waste time filling in application forms when there is no chance of acceptance.

Mortgage brokers can deal with "high street" lenders, looking for clean risks, and also lesser-known companies who specialise in helping those with credit problems, difficult circumstances and those turned down elsewhere. This means that no matter what your circumstances they should be able to find you a good mortgage deal.

One such mortgage broker is Handmade Mortgages. They offer a full range of mortgages including:

• Fixed rate
• Variable rate
• Flexible mortgages
• Buy to let
• First time buyer
• Debt problem mortgages

Buying a house is stressful enough as it is. Handmade Mortgages make it as stress-free as possible to obtain a suitable mortgage quickly and easily. They will always treat you as an individual, not a number, and their friendly staff are on hand to dispense help and advice when it is needed.

Mortgage quotes are free and without obligation so there is no excuse not to give them a try and see what they can offer you.