Glisten / Loans Loans guides Glisten's loan guides explain how personal, auto, student and home loans work and what they cost, using rules from the CFPB, the Federal Reserve and the housing and student loan agencies. Where we list lenders, we show what each one publishes about who it lends to. We don't pick one for you. Two calculators turn a rate and term into a monthly payment and total interest. Glisten isn't a lender.
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How do personal loans work? What does a loan really cost? Where can I borrow with bad credit? How do car loans work? Should I use federal or private student loans? What credit score do I need for a mortgage? Work out a loan's monthly payment Frequently asked questions How do personal loans work? A personal loan is usually unsecured, with a fixed rate and a set term. Of the 12 lenders whose pages we read, only 2 publish a minimum credit score.
How personal loans work: terms, rates and the application process (2026) How personal loans work: lump sum, fixed rate, terms of one to seven years. Banks averaged 11.90% on 24-month loans in August 2026. What 10 lenders publish. Personal loan requirements: credit score, income and age by lender (2026) Minimum credit score, income, age and residency rules that 12 personal loan lenders publish on their own pages. Most publish no minimum score at all. Personal loan calculator: monthly payment, origination fee and real APR (2026) Work out a personal loan's monthly payment, total interest, the cash you actually get after an origination fee, and the APR with that fee counted. Debt consolidation loans: how they work and when they cost more How a debt consolidation loan pays off your cards, a worked $10,000 example, when a longer term or fee makes it cost more, and the CFPB's alternatives. What does a loan really cost? The APR folds fees like an origination fee into the yearly cost, so two loans with the same interest rate can have different APRs.
APR vs interest rate: what's the difference on a loan? The interest rate is the price of the money; the APR adds the fees Regulation Z counts. What's in and out, a mortgage example, and why equal rates differ. Origination fees: what lenders charge and how they change your APR (2026) Origination fees as lenders publish them (Avant, Best Egg, Happen Bank, Prosper and more), deducted vs added, the effect on APR, and how to lower one. Personal loan calculator: monthly payment, origination fee and real APR (2026) Work out a personal loan's monthly payment, total interest, the cash you actually get after an origination fee, and the APR with that fee counted. Where can I borrow with bad credit? Credit unions offer small payday alternative loans under NCUA rules. Payday and car title loans cost far more; the payday page has the CFPB's figures.
Personal loans for bad credit: published minimums, PALs and the 36% line Lowest minimum scores personal lenders publish (Achieve 560, Prosper 640), secured and co-signed loans, credit union PALs capped at 28%, and payday warnings. Payday loan alternatives: what payday and title loans cost, and what else to try (2026) What payday and car title loans cost, from the CFPB and FTC, and the alternatives: credit union PALs, employer advances, earned wage access, payment plans, 211. Buy now, pay later: how it works, late fees and credit reporting (2026) How pay-in-4 and longer BNPL loans work, late fees, which providers report to which bureaus, FICO's BNPL scores, and where the CFPB's 2024 rule stands now. Car loans with bad credit: what subprime auto loans cost (2026) What subprime car loans cost by lender type, how buy here, pay here dealers work, what a down payment or cosigner changes, and how to spot yo-yo financing. How do car loans work? The Federal Reserve put the average 60-month new-car loan rate at banks at 7.54% in August 2026. When a dealer arranges the loan, it can add a markup to the lender's rate.
How auto loans work: dealer vs bank financing, terms and add-ons (2026) Dealer vs direct auto financing and the dealer markup, loan terms, down payments, negative equity, GAP and service contracts, and the Fed's new-car rates. Auto loan calculator: amount financed, monthly payment and total cost (2026) Work out a car loan from the price, down payment, trade-in, sales tax and fees: the amount financed, monthly payment, total interest and total cost. Auto loan refinancing: when it saves money and what lenders check (2026) When refinancing a car loan saves money, what Capital One, U.S. Bank and Andrews FCU publish, prepayment penalties, and how the title moves. Car loans with bad credit: what subprime auto loans cost (2026) What subprime car loans cost by lender type, how buy here, pay here dealers work, what a down payment or cosigner changes, and how to spot yo-yo financing. Should I use federal or private student loans? Federal loans come with repayment plans and protections private loans don't have. Refinancing federal loans into a private loan gives those up.
What credit score do I need for a mortgage? FHA allows a 580 score with 3.5% down. VA sets no minimum of its own, but lenders can set theirs. These pages are guides only.
What credit score do you need for a mortgage? FHA, VA, conventional and USDA Minimum credit scores from the agencies' own rulebooks: FHA's 580 and 500, VA's no minimum, Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's 620, and how USDA sets the bar. FHA vs VA loans: eligibility, down payment, fees and limits (2026) FHA vs VA home loans side by side: who can use each, down payment, FHA mortgage insurance vs the VA funding fee, 2026 loan limits and credit score rules. HELOC vs home equity loan: how each works, costs and risks (2026) HELOC vs home equity loan: draw and repayment periods, variable vs fixed rates, closing costs, how much you can borrow, the 3-day right to cancel and taxes. Work out a loan's monthly payment Frequently asked questions What is the average personal loan rate? The Federal Reserve put the average 24-month personal loan rate at commercial banks at 11.90% in August 2026. See how personal loans work .
What's the difference between APR and interest rate? The interest rate is the cost of borrowing the money. APR adds fees such as origination fees, so it's the better number for comparing loans. See APR vs interest rate .
What credit score do I need for an FHA loan? HUD sets 580 for 3.5% down. Scores of 500 to 579 need 10% down. See credit score for a mortgage .
Does Glisten make loans? No. Glisten isn't a lender, doesn't take applications and doesn't make credit decisions.
