The most common credit questions easily explained
If you are planning a major purchase for which, your own savings are not enough at the moment, you have the option to take a loan from the bank. This can be a great help and make a lot of things possible, but it also requires some preparation time and is not done overnight. Therefore, in the following article we will give you a summary regarding the most frequently asked questions about this topic.
Requirements for applying for a loan
If one wants to apply for credit, there are certain conditions that must be met in order to be considered creditworthy. On the one hand, you must be of legal age and have full business activity. Furthermore, you need not only an account with a German bank, but also a German residence. In order to be considered creditworthy and to give the bank some kind of proof that the recruiter has the ability to repay the loan, the bank needs a permanent employment contract. Another aspect that will convince the bank to lend you the money is the possession of tangible assets such as real estate, vehicles or even land.
The necessary documents
When you apply for a loan, you should have some documents ready to be asked for at the bank. This includes:
- A valid identity card
- In case of salaried employees, a proof of salary for the last 3 months
- In case of self-employed persons, a business evaluation related to the last three years
- A list of possibly already existing wage contracts
- Self-disclosure
- A permanent employment contract and possibly a salary statement
Helpful is also a list of additional collateral such as the already mentioned tangible assets (real estate, vehicles, etc.).)
While the identity card is important for identification, the other documents more or less guarantee the ability of the applicant to pay back the money regularly and quickly.
Important aspect: the credit check
If you want to apply for a loan so you can not avoid the credit check. In this case, the financial situation of the recruiter is scrutinized by a third party, Schufa. These look not only at the money of the recruiter, but also the financial history as well as already running or also concluded credit contracts. Thereupon, the Schufa gives a guess how likely it is that you can pay back the complete money. Based on this assumption, the bank can now decide on the basis of this whether you will be approved for the amount or not.
What types of credit are available?
The classical and most used type of credit is the installment credit. Here, based on your income, an amount is determined that you will be provided by the bank. The amount of the installments and the interest rate that you have to pay back to the bank each month is determined in advance. These installments are already fixed in advance and assure the bank that the money will be returned to them within a certain period of time.
For those who have been found not creditworthy by assessing the Schufa, there is a possible financing, which is called Swiss loans. This involves taking out a loan with a foreign bank and bypassing the assessment by Schufa. It is important to know that these loans require a regular income and the bank usually wants to see this beforehand.
If you want to finance a specific tangible object you can consider a merchant loan. Here one should look for 0% financings if interested, since one escapes here the interests. Here, too, the repayment of the loan is usually in installments. Here you should specifically ask the dealer questions about loans and compare offers.
What determines the amount of the loan?
The amount of the loan does not depend on how much you need, but on how much you earn. The bank wants to make sure that you are able to repay the loan in full and within the specified period of time.
For this you should write down all sources of income and amounts and thus deduct current costs such as:
- Loans already in progress
- Insurance
- Cost for children
- Rent
The amount of the loan is determined by the amount that remains, the so-called net amount.
Everything about paying back the loan
If you ask questions about credit, sooner or later you will be asked about the repayment of the credit. As a rule, this is done in installments. On the basis of your monthly income an amount is determined, which is transferred monthly for example in the form of a standing order. This has not only the advantage for you, because you know how much money is lost every month, but also the advantage for the bank, that they know when they have the complete bank repaid.
It is important to note here that banks often charge interest, that is, on top of the amount borrowed there is a surcharge, which must also be paid to the bank. Because of this, when visiting the bank, it is important to ask questions not only about loans, but also about interest rates. In retrospect, you should compare the offers to choose the one where you have the least losses.