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When you take out a loan, whether it be a personal loan or secured loan, you will be repaying it over a fixed term which can range from a couple of months to several years. But what happens if you cannot afford to repay part of your loan one month? Well what will happen will depend on the agreement you signed with your lender. Sometimes you will be able to simply pay it off at a later date, or you may find your regular payments go up to cover your missed payment. But what if something unexpected happens, like you lose your job or fall ill, and are unable to pay off your loan? Again, what will happen will depend on your loan agreement but many loan providers will offer you Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) when you take out your loan to cover you in such posibilities. Although this may seem like an attractive prospect you should remember that this is an additional cost on top of your loan, and you should consider whether or not you really require this cover. What is Payment Protection Insurance? Payment Protection Insurance is offered by lenders to borrowers when they take out a loan. It covers their personal or secured loan and avoids the borrower getting into debt if they an accident, are sick or become unemployed. It will usually be offered by the lender at the time of the borrower taking out the loan, but is is also available to be taken at a later date or from another broker. The cost of Payment Protection Insurance will vary depending on which lender is offering it. It will also depend on the personal circumstances of the borrower, along with the amount that is being borrowed and for how long the repayments are for. The Downside of Payment Protection Insurance Although Payment Protection Insurance may seem an attractive prospect to stop you falling behind with your loan repayments in the event of unforeseen circumstances, there are a number of factors you should consider before entering into any agreements for it. Firstly, Payment Protection Insurance can be very expensive, and can even double the actual cost of the loan. Secondly, you may not be eligible for payments for a period of up to six months after starting the policy. Thirdly, some only cover redundancy so are not suitable for the self-employed. Finally, sometimes the cost of PPI is added to the loan itself and you can end up paying interest on both the loan and PPI combined, as opposed to paying for two seperate products. The Mis-Selling of Payment Protection Insurance There have been frequent criticisms raised at companies offering Payment Protection Insurance that they mis-sell it. Many do not explain to customers that it is an option and instead talk the customer into thinking that it is part of the loan itself. Others do not explain that it can be taken out at a later date and with another company, which can often prove a lot cheaper. Also PPI is often sold by sales assistants who have no financial background so should not really be offering the product. This is sometimes the case with storecards which are offered by shop assistants. There have also been criticisms that Payment Protection Insurance policies include too many exclusions and only pay out under restrictive circumstances.
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