What Does Co-Signing Mean to My Credit-Worthiness in Arizona?
10% of Americans are credit-invisible and Arizona residents have some of the worst credit in the U.S. While having no credit score might seem like a good thing on the surface, it could harm their chances of getting loans at favorable interest rates in the long-term. Lenders have little to no insight into the chances of such borrowers defaulting on their loans.
Luckily, with options like co-signing, such borrowers can apply for bad credit loans in Arizona at favorable rates while relying on the stronger credit score of the co-signer. What will does mean to you as the co-signer? Although having a high credit score as the cosigner will mean better loan rates for the borrower, it can have both positive and negative effects on your credit score.
The Basics of Co-Signing
When lenders offer borrowers a loan, they expect nothing but commitment towards repaying it.. Given the unpredictable nature of a borrower with low or no credit score, applying for a loan with a more predictable person seems like the best option. A cosigning loan contract has to have a primary borrower whose name appears at the start of the contract, and the name of the cosigner.
However, this doesn’t mean that you as the co-signer have no obligations towards the loan. In case the primary borrower was to default on the loan, you will be held liable for offsetting the balance. Additionally, once the primary borrower makes a loan payment, it will also appear on your credit report.
What Are The Benefits To The Co-Signer?
In case you have a few negative points on your credit report while having a better score than the primary borrower, cosigning can help raise your credit score. As long as the borrower makes on-time payments, your score increases with time as the same will appear on your credit report. After two years of on-time payments, there is no telling how well your credit score will be doing.
Another factor that will affect your score is your credit mix which makes up 10% of your credit score. Lenders tend to see borrowers with a suitable credit mix as credit-worthy, and adding a loan into your mix can help. While 10% might seem like too small a percentage, it does count when looking to get a loan in the future.
The Risks of Being a Co-Signer
When cosigning a loan, you take in all the pain but not the gain of getting part of the loan. For instance, if the primary borrower defaults on the loan, you will be held liable to pay the balance, not to mention the damage that this will have on your score. Cosigning might reduce your borrowing ability.
Some lenders will see you as liable for the loan even though you are not making any payments as the co-signer, especially since the loan details appear on your credit report. If the borrower defaults, the fact that you will have to pay the existing loan might scare them away.
Protecting Yourself as the Co-Signer
The first step in protecting yourself is ensuring that you can pay the loan if the primary borrower defaults. In case you can’t, then do not co-sign the loan. Next, ensure that the lenders are willing to offer you duplicate communications and loan details throughout its life to keep tabs on whether the borrower is repaying the loan or not.
In some cases, lenders might choose to relieve the co-signer of their obligations once the primary borrower consistently pays the loan on time. Negotiate on the best release date and end the contract once this date reaches. Since your credit score is also on the line, try to help the primary borrower if they have issues with the loan repayment.
There is always room for people with big hearts in the world, but this doesn’t mean that you should co-sign blindly. Assessing your circumstances is crucial to protecting your interests. Consider the character of the primary borrower before opting to co-sign a loan to be safe.
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