Thursday, September 18, 2008

Ways to Find a Secure Online Lender


Financial emergencies can strike at anytime. They occur without any warning and happen to anyone - let's face it, that is just how life works sometimes. The ideal situation would be to have a nice savings account ready for those emergency situations, but unfortunately... that is not the case for most folks.

There are some options out there for those needing cash in a hurry. There's the trusty bank loan, but with the way that the economy has been going lately, it is harder than ever to get approved for a typical bank loan. Luckily, online lenders are there to provide cash help during crises and provide even faster access to financial assistance. Online loans are getting more and more popular, mostly because they are convenient, there's no waiting period, and in most cases - you can get money deposited directly into your bank account or loaded on a cash card. Most online loan companies don’t require faxing or a lot of personal information to get you started.

All of this can be enticing and with the rise of the online loan industry, consumers now have the ability to get the personal loans they need, in a convenient and secure manner. Also, many people with less than perfect credit have benefited greatly from online lending. Online secure loans have allowed consumers the freedom to get the money they need without the hassle of credit checks or waiting in line.

BUT, consumers should still be careful when making the choice to apply for an online loan and keep a few important things in mind when looking for an online lender:

1) You want to make sure that the website is an actual company and not just a marketer. Read the about us page for more information and see what the company says about themselves.

2) Make sure the company is legitimate. Look for a clearly posted phone number or additional contact information.

3) Give the company a call and see if the greeting you receive includes the company name.

4) Look for a business address that is clearly posted on the website. Some companies do not have an actual physical address because they operate solely online. In this case refer to number three.

5) Look to see if the company has posted their business hours on the site.

6) When you go to fill out an application, make sure your personal information is being processed in a Secure Socket Layer. This encrypts the data that you give in your application so that no one else can see it. You’ll know if your date is safe if the http at the top of the page reads https. The S stands for secure.

For more information on secure online lending, please visit Wikipedia and refer to the “Key components of safe eLending.” (Number 9 in the contents list)


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