Related Financial Services - The following Debt Consolidation Loan Directory listings of companies are offered to assist you with gaining control of your personal finances and the management of your money. Also, feel free to review the rest of the sub-directories on DebtConsolidationLoan.com to shop for other finance products, such as credit cards and mortgage refinancing.

• Personal Loan Company - This type of lending is most often structured as an unsecured debt. This means your personal property or house will not used as collateral. Your approval (or denial) will usually be based upon your payment / credit history and your ability to repay the loan. This type of credit is also often called a signature loan.
• Credit and Debt Management - Too many credit cards and other bills to make monthly payments on? Start here by reviewing and comparing different debt management options for getting help with your credit card bills and other monthly obligations.
• Debt Settlement Service - If you have too many credit cards and other small debts and are unable to make your payments, this form of debt negotiation may be right for you.

Home Loans

How to Keep Costs from Going Through the Roof

28. Look into paying off your mortgage sooner rather than later. A mortgage with a long repayment term (30 or even 40 years) is very appealing because the monthly payments are relatively small, which can put a more expensive home within reach. However, the downside of this strategy is that you'll have a much smaller amount going to pay off your loan each month, and that can dramatically increase the total interest costs.

You can save tens of thousands of dollars in interest — depending on the amount of your loan and the interest rate — by choosing to reduce the length of your mortgage. Many people pay off their 15- or 30-year mortgage loan faster by sending in extra payments — say, an additional $50 or $100 each month or one large payment once a year. If you can afford the extra payments and don't have other uses for the money, "this is an easy way to pay off the loan and save thousands of dollars in interest charges without incurring the cost of refinancing," said Marshall. There are pros and cons to the different strategies, so you may wish to consult with a financial or tax advisor about what is best for you.

FDIC Consumer News is published by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

FDIC Consumer News is produced quarterly by the FDIC Office of Public Affairs in cooperation with other Divisions and Offices. It is intended to present information in a nontechnical way and is not intended to be a legal interpretation of FDIC or other government regulations and policies. Mention of a product, service or company does not constitute an endorsement.

Find current and past issues of FDIC Consumer News at http://www.fdic.gov/consumernews. Refer to this same index to locate the issues that are specially formatted for being reprinted in any quantity.

To receive an e-mail notice about each new issue of FDIC Consumer News posted on the FDIC Web site, with links to stories, follow instructions posted at www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Last updated on 8/10/2007

Make the correct decisions when shopping for banking, debt consolidation and related financial services. Educate yourself!

The Debt Consolidation Loan Directory has a growing library of free informative / educational financial resources for consumers shopping for many types of services related to the management of your money, such as consolidating credit card debts, fraud alerts and car insurance. There is no better way to make decisions regarding the management of your personal finances than to read and understand how they work. Please feel free to visit our consumer resource library for more information.

• Cell Phone Banking - New cell phones are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated. This includes adding the capability of handling online banking through your phone. This FDIC article discusses some of the possibilities and precautions you should take when using your phone for banking purposes.
• How to Protect Yourself with FDIC Insurance - Read up on what qualifications are necessary and how to determine if your deposits are covered by FDIC insurance.
• Direct Deposit Safer than Checks? - The US Treasury Department reports that a majority of surveyed consumers mistakenly believe that paper checks are safer than direct deposit.
• Consider the Fees! - Learn what to look for and examine the details of each banking account offer for possible fees, such as: inactivity, minimum balance and ATM withdrawal fees.

The Debt Consolidation Loan Directory is a service of Infinamic, Inc. All information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Infinamic, Inc. is not responsible for the content and services, that may be provided to you, by following the links from this web site. Use this service at your own discretion.