Key takeaways Mortgages, home equity loans, home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) and auto loans are all forms of secured debt. Personal loans, credit cards, student loans and medical loans are some forms of unsecured debt.
Secured debts are those for which the borrower puts up some asset to serve as collateral for the loan. The secured loans lower the amount of risk for lenders. Unsecured debt has no collateral backing. Lenders issue funds in an unsecured loan based solely on the borrower's creditworthiness and promise to repay.
Unsecured debt is any debt that is not tied to an asset, like a home or automobile. This most commonly means credit card debt, but can also refer to items like personal loans and medical debt.
Mortgages and auto loans are types of secured loans. Unsecured loans don't require collateral but may charge a higher interest rate and have tighter credit requirements because of the added risk to the lender. Many personal loans and most credit cards are unsecured.
Understanding Unsecured Debt
Examples of unsecured debt include credit cards, medical bills, utility bills, and other instances in which credit was given without any collateral requirement. Unsecured loans are particularly risky for lenders because the borrower might choose to default on the loan through bankruptcy.
According to TransUnion, the average unsecured personal loan amount in July 2023 was $7,462, down from $7,543 in July 2022. The average balance per consumer as of September 2023, however, is $11,850, indicating that many people who have one unsecured personal loan have at least one more.
Key takeaways. Debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt obligations compared to your gross monthly income (before taxes), expressed as a percentage. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%. Any debt-to-income ratio above 43% is considered to be too much debt.
Since there is no asset that the lender can seize if you default, unsecured debt is often thought of as less risky for the borrower than secured debt. As a result, unsecured debts are often more difficult to qualify for compared with loans that involve collateral. They also typically come with higher interest rates.
Student loans, personal loans and credit cards are all example of unsecured loans. Since there's no collateral, financial institutions give out unsecured loans based in large part on your credit score and history of repaying past debts.
A personal loan can affect your credit score in a number of ways—both good and bad. Taking out a personal loan isn't bad for your credit score in and of itself. However, it may affect your overall score for the short term and make it more difficult for you to obtain additional credit before that new loan is paid back.
Debt relief through a debt management plan
A debt management plan allows you to pay your unsecured debts — typically credit cards — in full, but often at a reduced interest rate or with fees waived. You make a single payment each month to a credit counseling agency, which distributes it among your creditors.
Defaulting on an Unsecured Loan
As mentioned previously, however, a collection agency may try to sue you for the unpaid amounts you owe, attempt to garnish your wages, or place a lien on your home through a court order. 5 And, as with a secured loan, you can expect a serious impact on your credit score.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy provides for the discharge of most types of unsecured debt. Once unsecured debt is discharged in bankruptcy, you are no longer obligated to repay the debt. The creditor can no longer attempt to collect such debt from you.
Key takeaways
Secured debt is backed by collateral, whereas unsecured debt doesn't require you to put any assets on the line to get approved. Because lenders take on more risk, unsecured debts tend to have higher interest rates and stricter eligibility requirements than secured debt.
If you neglect to pay off unsecured debt, it's unlikely your possessions would be reclaimed by a lender. But if you stop making payments, you may be hounded by debt collectors calling, emailing and texting you to try and convince you to pay the debt down.
Unsecured debt refers to debt created without any collateral promised to the creditor. In many loans, like mortgages and car loans, the creditor has a right to take the property if payments are not made.
Lenders take on less risk with secured loans since the borrower has more incentive to repay the loan. Because of this, interest rates are typically much lower. However, with a good credit score you can still get favorable rates for either type of loan.
Unsecured personal loans — loans not backed by collateral — and loans from friends, family or employers are eligible for discharge. Plus, 403(b) loans also qualify for discharge under both a Chapter 7 and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
If you have pledged property as collateral for a loan, the loan is called a secured debt. Examples of secured debt include homes loans and car loans. The loan is secured by the car or home, which means that the person you owe the debt to can repossess the car or foreclose on the home if you fail to pay the debt.
Personal loan amounts vary widely among lenders. While some lenders allow you to borrow up to $100,000, others offer loans only up to $20,000. Most base your maximum loan amount on financial factors, like your annual income, your credit score and your repayment history.
Is $2,000 too much credit card debt? $2,000 in credit card debt is manageable if you can pay more than the minimum each month. If it's hard to keep up with the payments, then you'll need to make some financial changes, such as tightening up your spending or refinancing your debt.
The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals. Let's take a closer look at each category.
Having any credit card debt can be stressful, but $10,000 in credit card debt is a different level of stress. The average credit card interest rate is over 20%, so interest charges alone will take up a large chunk of your payments. On $10,000 in balances, you could end up paying over $2,000 per year in interest.
Research from financial services company Northwestern Mutual found that excluding mortgages, the average personal debt per individual sat at $21,800 in 2023, significantly lower than the $29,800 recorded in 2019.