Offset mortgages and intelligent finance loans were first introduced in 1997 and were an import from Australia. Simply put, an offset mortgage or intelligent finance loans is where you use your savings in a bank account to lower the interest you have to pay on your mortgage. It is easier to explain intelligent finance loans and offset mortgages by using an example.

Jack Jones has savings of $163;40,000 and a mortgage of $163;240,000. To save money Mr Jones opts for an offset mortgage. He therefore pays interest on $163;200,000 rather than $163;240,000. If Mr Jones wanted to finance $163;20,000 for his daughter’s wedding next year, he could ask when he set up his mortgage for a borrowing limit of $163;260,000. That’s $163;200,000 for the mortgage, $163;40,000 in savings + $163;20,000 for wedding. He would then have a debt of $163;260,000 however due to the offset feature of his mortgage and his $163;40,000 savings he would only pay interest on $163;220,000 rather than the $163;260,000 owed after the wedding. The main point to remember with offset mortgages is that you only pay interest on the money you actually owe. In Mr Jones’ case prior to borrowing for his daughter’s wedding this figure would have been $163;200,000 and after the wedding $163;220,000.

During the credit boom of the late nineties and early millennium, banks started to expand the offset principle to include credit cards and current accounts. The lenders who offer offset mortgages and intelligent finance loans usually offer two types of offset mortgages.

1) Current account mortgages – these give the borrower a single account with a large overdraft. The borrower’s savings, current accounts, credit cards and loans are all combined into this single account. The interest rate offered varies from lender to lender. This has the obvious advantage that there is only one payment for the borrower to worry about.

2) The second option available for borrowers is where the borrower keeps their separate accounts however they are linked together. As no interest is paid on savings as it is tied into the intelligent finance loans, the offset mortgage is extremely tax efficient and a great way to lower the amount of taxes that are owed.

As with the example above, both types of intelligent finance loans or offset mortgages have borrowing limits set when the intelligent finance loans set up. The borrower can then spend up to their limit without any penalties being imposed. If you are looking for finance speak to an expert adviser.

A lender can give finance loans in the UK as either secured or unsecured for smaller items that you wish to purchase, rather than a home purchase for instance. The current credit crunch experienced by Britons has slowed the demand for finance loans, but if you are capable of securing one due to your high credit standing and your pay history, you’ll find that most lenders are more than willing to work with you.

People receive finance loans for various purposes such as possibly a new car, home improvements, a new caravan, solicitor’s fees, a well-deserved holiday, to pay university or other school fees, or in order to pay off their credit cards or even an overdraft. Once the loan is granted the money will of course be yours to spend as you wish.

You will have to fill out an application which will ask for your full name, address, date of birth, marital status, employment status, gross monthly income, whether you are a homeowner or tenant, how much your house is worth and what is owing on your mortgage.

The next step in obtaining a finance loan is for the loan company or bank to verify the various information you have given them. You should be aware that the loan rates can go up to 29.9% APR. APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate, and it is defined as the equivalent rate of interest when considering any of the added costs for a given loan. Therefore it is a function of the initial loan amount, the applicable interest rate, the total additional costs, and the terms. Also, if you are applying for a finance loan, you’ll find that the debt may be secured on your home, and that home is then subject to being repossessed should you not keep up your payments on your mortgage or any debts that are secured by your home.

Now in an automobile loan, the automobile itself secures the loan whether it’s a new automobile or a refinancing of an existing auto loan. As with the caveat mentioned above, you must keep making payments if you do not wish to be subjected to a repossession of your automobile.

Back when lending was competitive it was much easier to locate a lender willing to take a chance on such an unsecured loan. However, now that we are in a credit crunch, all lenders have made it more difficult to arrange such finance loans. Already made effective October 2008, due to unscrupulous lenders who were in essence credit sharks, the Consumer Credit Act now has been changed to offer more protection to borrowers. The Banking Code Standards Board retains an easily navigable website should you encounter any problems when seeking either a secured or unsecured loan in Great Britain.

Regardless of what type of loan you are trying to secure, know that even though more consumer protections have been added, you still need to do your research to avoid being trapped in a loan that is both unfair and unscrupulous.