Make Sure Your Loan is Approved
Nobody likes getting turned down for a loan. Although Long Island State Employees Federal Credit Union makes every effort to approve all loan requests, it's sometimes necessary to deny an application -- to protect the applicant's financial health, as well as the credit union's.
When the credit union denies a loan, it's because the applicant has either (1) a poor credit history or (2) a high debt-to-income ratio. Your debt-to-income ratio is the percentage of your total debt compared to income. For example, if each month you pay $400 toward debt with a $1,000 gross (before tax) monthly income, your debt-to-income ratio is 40%.
Although there's no magic ratio to shoot for, a rough guideline is that total debt shouldn't exceed about 40% of total income. The credit union also weighs other factors, and requirements vary for different loans.
If your loan request gets rejected, here are a few things you can do to improve your chances for approval on your next application:
- Devise a plan to pay off old loans, including credit card balances, thus reducing your debt-to-income ratio.
- You may qualify to consolidate your loans and credit card balances into one loan at Long Island State Employees Federal Credit Union; then stop overusing credit cards.
- Get a handle on your budget by comparing what you spend with what you earn. A budget can help you trim expenses and funnel money toward paying off old debts.
- Fix your broken credit history. Long Island State Employees Federal Credit Union will work with any member who is sincere about re-establishing good credit.
- Bolster your income with a second job -- temporarily -- to help trim your debt.
