The Collapse of the Personal Finance Marketplace Makes Getting a Loan Much Harder These Days
The recession is now well into its third year and not really showing signs of abating. the fundamental thing behind this recession was the meltdown of the banks that occurred.
Some say that the collapse was due to the entire financial world having stretched itself by being far too liberal with lending policy and giving credit to people who had stretched their borrowing capabilities too far. In the end though, the whole thing had to come crashing down, with at least one major institution collapsing and a few of the major banks needing to be helped out by the Government.
So what happened next? With the financial world in serious trouble, the banks were forced to do something to help mend the precarious position that they found themselves in. Following the bailout, most stopped lending to the general public and businesses creating the ‘credit crunch’. Some sold off huge swathes of their business in order to rapidly generate income. However, some just decided to retire from the marketplace.
Three years ago there were over 15 different lenders providing secured loans, and several more companies that were providing unsecured loans. The industry is almost unrecognizable now with only three or so secured loan lenders in operation and one or two offering unsecured loans. Trying to get an unsecured loan at the moment is nigh on impossible as the lenders have tightened their belts. The banks are really only interested in giving loans to their existing customers.
There have been some high profile casualties in the industry. One of the first to bite the dust was First Plus. First Plus, which was owned by Barclays, was closed down very early on and caused a hugh stir in the industry as they were a major provider of loans. Another household name to go was Welcome Finance, along with some of the other smaller unsecured lenders. Blackhorse Finance withdrew from the personal finance scene earlier this year which left a huge gap in the market as far as tenants were concerned.
The industry is still in recovery mode. Things are not all that better even today and the unsecured market is a real problem. Secured loans have got a little easier to obtain provided that you are a homeowner with enough equity in your property. People seeking loans that are not homeowners will still struggle to find a loan assuming that they are unable to get one from their bank. Personal loan rates are coming down and are currently at their lowest for over two years, generating some competition between lenders.
One oplace that you may be able to get a small unsecured loan is from a Payday Loan Company, something that has become increasingly popular over the past couple of years. Due to the complete lack of any alternative, these instant cash loans have become very popular.
Will there ever be a return to the crazy lending that has taken place over the last fifteen years or so? It is hard to see such reckless lending reappear but there will always be a demand for credit so it will be no surprise if a few more lenders start to show up as the recovery strengthens.



