Credit & Debt Vocabulary

the paying off of debt over time in equal installments; part of each payment goes towards the loan principal while the other part goes towards interest

• Collections
• Reposession
• Amounts Owed
• Amortization

a yearly fee that may be charged for having a specific credit card, independent of how you use the card

• Annual Fee
• Tax Lien
• Amounts Owed
• Penalty APR

the cost you pay each year to corrow money, including fees, expressed as a percentage

• Penalty APR
• Anual Percentage Rate (APR)
• Interest Rate
• Variable Rate Loan

a person who has permission to use and/or carry another person's credit card, but isn't legally responsible for paying the bill

• Unsecured Debt
• Secured Debt
• Home Equity
• Authorized User

a credit card service that allows cardholders to withdraw a certain amount of cash, either their an ATM or directly from a bank, typically at high interest rates or for a fee

• Cash Back
• Annual Fee
• Cash Advance
• Tax Lien

a credit card benefit that pays the cardholder a small percentage of their net expenditures, often as cash, payment towards their balance, rewards points, travel miles, or gift cards

• Cosigner
• Cash Advance
• Tax Lien
• Cash Back

something valuable that the lender can take as payment if you can't or don't repay your loan

• Cosigner
• Collections
• Term
• Collateral

a loan that combines two or more loans into a single loan allowing the borrower to make a single monthly payment

• Consolidation Loan
• Personal Loan
• Home Equity Loan
• Debt Consolodation Loan

someone who legally agrees to take responsibility for a person's debt if they cannot repay it

• Cosigner
• Collateral
• Loan
• Credit

the maximum amount that may be borrowed on a credit card

• Credit Limit
• Credit Mix
• Credit Score
• Credit Report