By: Peter Garant
A person who obtains a payday loan for the first time need not have butterflies in his stomach. Getting a payday loan is relatively simple and fast, especially if a person submits an application online. Completing an online application takes between two to six minutes, depending on how fast a person reads and types... Online payday loan companies require loan applicants to complete an online application form. Based on the information disclosed in the application form, the lender will determine whether the applicant is qualified for a payday loan or not. Most lenders collect information about potential clients from four sources:
1. The information provided by the application on the online form, such as years or months of employment and the monthly wage.
2. The data regarding the client’s transactions with the lender such as the amounts previously loaned and payments made.
3. The record of the client’s transactions with other companies or lenders, such as whether the client has applied for other payday loans or not.
4. The report from a consumer agency, but this report is not about the client’s credit history.
Some people, however, are dubious about the privacy and confidentiality of submitting their information online. This is because there are unscrupulous hackers who steal information for their own selfish purposes.
To prevent any violation of privacy, online lenders have installed comprehensive and tight security measures. Such measures are meant to keep the confidentiality and integrity of the information provided by an applicant. One of these security measures is called the 128-bit SSL encryption technology. SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer. The SSL ensures that any data transmitted from one computer to another cannot be viewed publicly by anyone.
Another security measure is, of course, the client’s username and password. With such, no other person will have access to the client’s personal account. This means that no one else can use and exploit the personal account. But with this security measure, the client must also do his part. That is, he must not divulge such information to anyone or make a public computer remember his username and password.
For the part of the lenders, they usually do not pass on information about you to other entities or people, except when the law requires them to do so. This is when lenders report their financial status to authorized government agencies. The lenders will certainly not show that Mr. X borrowed more money than Mr. Y.
Lenders also install electronic safeguards to prevent other online companies from obtaining the client’s contact information, and to hinder such companies from sending you proposals and advertisements about their products and services.
And lastly, when a person no longer utilizes the loan services of the lender, the information about this former customer will remain confidential, unless again, when the lender is required by law to disclose such information.
A person who wants to take a payday loan for the first time need not worry about his credit history because the payday loan lender will no longer conduct any credit investigation. This means that if the applicant has issued bouncing checks or declared bankruptcy in the past, he will still be eligible for a payday loan. The few requirements are these:
1. Must be 18 years old and above
2. Must have a current job or receive a regular income
3. Must have a minimum wage of $1,000
4. Must maintain a checking account
Once a person meets the requirements listed above, the next he will need to find out is the amount that he is qualified to borrow. Such amount will depend on his income. This implies that a person usually cannot borrow more than his income. This is the lender’s way of ensuring that the borrower is able to pay the loan.
Once the loan application is approved, a representative of the lending company will contact the borrower either by phone or by email. The representative or customer service personnel will confirm several loan details and will answer any other questions that the borrower may have. The borrower is now considered a client. And this usually happens within a day.
A few lenders will require the client to submit via fax or email attachment some documents (such as driver’s license) so that the client may show proof of his employment. But most lenders have other more convenient ways. That is, they do not ask the client to fax anything.
The client usually receives the amount he loaned during the next business day. That is, if the application was submitted Wednesday, the client’s bank account usually gets a deposit overnight or early Thursday. If the application was submitted on Friday, the deposit is received on Monday.
The payment for the loan is often deducted from the client’s bank account on the day of his payday. This payment will consist of the loan and of the interest. The amount charged for the interest will vary from one lender to another. As a first time borrower, one of the best courses to take is to research which lender will offer the least interest and the best deal.
For more information or more questions, the first time borrower may contact the lender’s toll-free customer service hotlines.
