loans
A loan is a type of debt. All material things can be lent but this article focuses exclusively on monetary loans. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower.
The borrower initially receives an amount of money from the lender, which they pay back, usually but not always in regular installments, to the lender. This service is generally provided at a cost, referred to as interest on the debt.
Acting as a provider of loans is one of the principal tasks for financial institutions. For other institutions, issuing of debt contracts such as bonds is a typical source of funding. Bank loans and credit are one way to increase the money supply.
Payday loan
A payday loan or paycheck advance is a small, short-term loan (typically up to $1,500 in the U.S.) that is intended to bridge the borrower's cash flow gap between paydays. Payday loans are also sometimes referred to as cash advances, though that term can also refer to cash provided against a prearranged line of credit such as a credit card.
Student loan
Student loans are loans offered to students to assist in payment of the costs of professional education. These loans usually carry lower interests than other loans and are usually issued by the government. Often they are supplemented by student grants which do not have to be repaid.
Private student loans
These are loans that are not guaranteed by a government agency and are made to students by banks or finance companies. Advocates of private student loans suggest that they combine the best elements of the different government loans into one: They generally offer higher loan limits than direct-to-student federal loans, ensuring the student is not left with a budget gap. But unlike to-the-parent government loans, they generally offer a grace period with no payments due until after graduation. This grace period ranges as high as 12 months after graduation, though most private lenders offer six months.
