This post has been updated on Mar. 10th, 2019 to reflect new developments in the Canadian credit markets for people with less then perfect credit.
I receive many request daily from people who want to borrow small amounts of money short or medium term, people who usually have nobody else to turn to because they have bad credit. It breaks my heart reading these requests, but I’m not in the business of lending money and unfortunately I can’t help them out. The way I’m trying to help out is by educating people to avoid debt whenever possible, or at least to use forms of credit that won’t cripple them financially down the road. I understand that when you have a poor credit and the rent is overdue, or you have an emergency, sometimes you have to bite the bullet and borrow from a private lender that demand high interest on their loans, but such bad credit loans should be dealt with swiftly to avoid going into a never ending debt spiral.
I see signs of restricting personal credit in Canada everywhere lately. Even secured credit card providers like Peoples Trust has discontinued their popular secured card this summer. The big five Canadian banks have tightened credit issuing and mortgage underwriting. Getting a personal loan if you have a bad credit is no longer an easy task in Canada. You can still get a small bad credit personal loan from alternative lenders, but they come with much higher interest attached, and should be used only as last resort.
Although many Canadians would hate to admit it the real estate boom of the last 15 years is now over. This is not a real estate post, but the fallout of the declining real estate has direct implications on the ability of the average Canadian to access personal credit. The first victims of declining real estate values are of course people who rely on home equity lines of credit and refinancing to pay their bills and expensive to service credit card debt. The rising interest rate environment that we find ourselves in isn’t helping this either.
Finance companies, credit unions, online lending services, and some banks offer secured and unsecured loans to Canadians with bad and no credit. They usually offer short-term loans and a convenient and fast application process.
Getting a Bad Credit Personal Loan in Canada with No Credit Check
Online lending services and payday lenders offer loans for people with bad credit with no credit check. Some finance companies don’t run a credit check but require regular and stable income and look at the customer’s individual circumstances. Another option is to apply for a home equity or secured auto loan whereby your home equity or vehicle serves as collateral. Other loan providers include peer to peer lending services and payday lenders. Peer to peer services feature loans offered by individual lenders who may be more sympathetic and willing to offer loans to individuals with fair or poor credit.
Is There Such a Thing as Guaranteed Approval for Bad Credit Personal Loans
While many lenders advertise guaranteed approval, they usually require proof of income. In many cases, customers must have an active checking account. Guaranteed approval usually means that lenders accept applications from clients with a history of consumer proposals, bankruptcies, credit counseling, seriously delinquent accounts, and past collections. Thus loan providers have more lenient lending and credit requirements compared to banks. Guaranteed approval often means that loan providers accept applications from individuals with different credit profiles, and your credit score is not the most important factor.
How to Get Unsecured Personal Loans with Bad Credit
Comparison shopping is the best way to check rates, lending criteria, types of loans available, acceptable types of collateral, repayment schedules, and other details. Lending services usually request employment information such as length of employment, position held, gross income, monthly income, and employer. If applying together with a co-applicant, they must provide employment and personal information about the co-applicant, including net or gross income, age, and marital status. When applying for a bad credit personal loan in Canada, applicants also provide information such as mortgage payments and mortgage holders, number of dependents, current address, age, and social insurance number. Lenders want to make sure that customers will be able to pay down the loan within the agreed time frame. As a rule, loan providers are unwilling to deal with risky clients with no credit or financial record. This is the reason why they ask for proof of employment and financial stability to ensure prompt repayment. Customers with poor credit and excessive debt, for example, are at risk of default.
Top 5 Bad Credit Personal Loans Lenders in Canada
EasyFinancial, Capital Direct, Prudent Financial, Canada Lend, and Tribecca Finance are the top 5 lenders that offer secured and unsecured loans to individuals with poor credit.
EasyFinancial, for example, offers home equity and personal loans to customers who need cash to pay unexpected or medical expenses, pay a consumer proposal, or consolidate existing loan balances. The company also offers consumer loans to help borrowers repair or establish credit. Customers are offered home equity loans with long amortization periods of up to 40 years. EasyFinancial offers debt consolidation and personal loans to help clients reestablish credit. Clients are offered a bad credit personal loan of $500 to $10,000. The company advertises flexible and convenient payment options.
Capital Direct is another lending service that provides home equity loans and lines of credit to pay one-time, recurring, or unexpected expenses. Borrowers are offered lines of credit with variable repayment schedules and rates and debt consolidation options.
If you are looking for a bad credit loan in Canada, Prudent Financial is a good place to find small loans of up to $5,000. Approval depends on factors such as assets, debt, income level, and employment. The good news is that payments are reported to Experian, Equifax, and other credit bureaus.
Canada Lend is yet another lending service that offers second and bad credit mortgages, debt consolidation services, home equity lines of credit, refinancing options, and other financial solutions.
Secured Bad Credit Loans
Issuers provide secured loans to customers with bad and good credit. Loans are offered to borrowers with defaults, mortgage arrears, foreclosure, and missing loan payments provided that collateral is used to secure the loan. Collateral in the form of caravan, motorcycle, vehicle, real estate, or another valuable asset is required to secure the loan. Lending services advertise flexible repayment terms and schedules, easy application, and pre-approval options. The repayment term varies based on the borrower’s financial circumstances. The main benefit is that clients are offered larger amounts and lower rates compared to unsecured loans. At the same time, many lenders require that applicants are homeowners to qualify. The maximum loan to value ratio varies by issuer. When applying for a bad credit personal loan in Canada, clients fill in contact information, marital status, mortgage balance, collateral worth, amount requested, and other information. Some financial companies also ask about pay interval and employment (self-employed, student, housewife, employed, etc.)
Unsecured Bad Credit Loans
Some issuers offer unsecured credit in the form of short term loans with higher-than-average rates. There are loan providers that offer acceptable solutions but it is more difficult to get approved. One idea is to apply together with a co-signer. This can be a friend, relative, parent, coworker, or another person with good or stellar credit. Co-signers are 100 percent responsible for timely loan repayment and are taking a huge risk. It is also possible to get approved for a loan with less than perfect credit provided that you have stable income. Writing a loan application letter also helps. Include details such as repayment term and schedule and loan purpose and explain your financial situation. When applying for a loan, customers are asked to bring documents such as their financial and loan statements and income tax forms. Lenders are also interested in the applicant’s housing history, employment status, credit card debt, and outstanding loan balances. Customers also choose a loan term that can vary from 3 months to 10 years. They specify loan amount and purpose, for example, vehicle or furniture purchase, debt consolidation, home improvements, and others. Some lenders also offer loans for back to school expenses, funeral expenses, small rent arrears, holidays and travel, Christmas and wedding expenses, and unexpected expenses. With some lenders, you need to provide housing information, i.e. tenant of employer, housing association, living with parents, furnished or unfurnished tenancy, or homeowner.
