The lender is required to give you a written statement of the amount borrowed and the interest rate however, repossession procedures, sale procedures and what lenders can charge as added fees are not as specific as in Chapter 537. The lender has to tell you 10 days in advance of the time and place of the sale and give you an accounting of what is owed.Ĭhapter 516 does not contain all of the protections offered in Chapter 537. Additionally, up until the time the car is sold, you still can get it back if you pay back your loan and any reasonable expenses. You must have a chance to remove any personal property you have in the vehicle. Also, the lender must notify you if the lender intends to repossess your vehicle and you will have the chance to arrange to hand it over instead of having a repossession agent come to get it. Under Chapter 537, the loan agreement must also explain that if you do not repay the loan the lender can take possession of your vehicle, sell it and keep the proceeds up to the amount you owe along with any reasonable expenses to cover the repossession and sale. You may verify a title loan lender’s license with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation online at or by phone at (850) 487-9687. It must specify how much you are borrowing (called the “amount financed”) and what the interest rate will be. Be sure to read and understand the agreement before you sign. Under the law, in order to receive a loan, you and the lender must sign a written agreement before you get your loan. Under Chapter 537, Florida Statutes, the Florida Title Loan Act requires title loan lenders to be licensed by the state Office of Financial Regulation. Two Florida laws regulate vehicle-secured finance loans. Consider carefully whether you're going to have that money in time to repay the title loan and avoid repossession of your vehicle. If you arrange to pay back your loan in, say, one month, you would have to pay back $1,000 plus (approximately) $25 in interest. That means, for instance, that if you borrow $1,000 you will be obliged to pay back $1,000 in principal and also up to an additional $300 in interest over the course of a year. Seeking financial help from a charity or government agency.įlorida law allows a title lender to charge you interest on your loan of up of 30% per year for the first $2,000 you borrow 24% a year for any additional money you borrow between $2,000 and $3,000 and 18% a year on any money you borrow over $3,000.Contacting a credit counseling service, which might help you sort out your finances at a reduced rate or for free depending on the city or county where you live.Working out a payment plan with the seller or provider of whatever it is that you are taking the title loan out to pay for. Instead of a title loan, you might consider: However, if you take out a title loan you might end up losing one of your most valuable possessions and your means of transportation. On its face, a title loan might seem attractive, especially if you need cash right away or have a problem getting a loan from a traditional lender, such as a bank or credit union. Because of the risk of losing your vehicle if you miss a single payment, you should consider the following before taking out a title loan: Seek out alternatives to title loans. If this happens, within 30 days after the sale of the motor vehicle, you are entitled to receive the proceeds from the sale in excess of the amount due on the loan (including the principal amount, interest through the date of repossession and the lender’s reasonable expenses in repossessing and selling the vehicle). If you cannot repay your loan, the lender can and probably will repossess your motor vehicle, sell it and pocket whatever you owe. In a title loan transaction, you keep your motor vehicle and drive it, while the lender keeps the title to your motor vehicle as security for repayment of the loan. The duration of these loans is 30 days after the date of the title loan agreement, but it may be extended for one or more 30-day periods by mutual consent. Title loans can be for relatively small amounts like $250 to $1,500, but they can also be for larger amounts such as $5,000 or $10,000. Based on your vehicle's value, a lender determines how much money you can borrow. How to Protect Yourself: Title Loans Source: The Florida Attorney General's OfficeĪ title loan is a way to borrow money against your motor vehicle.
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