Credit: Marje/Getty Images; Illustration by Issiah Davis/Bankrate If your credit needs work, that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t qualify for a mortgage. There are lenders and loan programs for borrowers with bad credit, including FHA loans. However, you’ll have your work cut out for you: During the third quarter of…
A smart personal finance strategy often involves earning some interest on your money while not taking on too much risk. These days, high-yield savings accounts are one viable option, with top rates reaching over 4% APY — significantly outpacing the current inflation rate of 2.7%. In addition to savings accounts,…
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that…
Credit: Images by Getty Images; Illustration by Issiah Davis/Bankrate When you work with an online mortgage lender, the entire application process often happens without any face-to-face interaction. Online mortgage companies don’t have branch locations; instead, they operate exclusively online. To assemble our list of the best online lenders, we’ve reviewed…
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Alexandr Dubynin/Getty Images Key takeaways Personal loans aren’t among Bank of America’s product offerings. You can access a small, affordable short-term loan if you’re a current customer and meet the eligibility criteria. You can also explore Bank of America’s HELOC, car loan, mortgage and credit card products to get the…
Ilya Ginzburg/EyeEm/Getty Images Key takeaways Opening a money market account requires the same documentation as any other bank account including a government-issued ID and your Social Security number, along with a way to fund the account. Read the fine print prior to opening a new money market account to make…
Image: Getty Images; Illustration: Bankrate A huge jump in HELOC rates to start the new year. The $30,000 home equity line of soared 59 basis points to 8.22%, as a major lender ended promotions, according to Bankrate’s national survey of lenders. Meanwhile, the benchmark five-year $30,000 home equity loan dropped…
Credit card interest rates resumed dropping in the second half of 2025, closing out the year at 19.7%, about a percentage point lower than the record high set in August of 2024. And while Bankrate expects the rates to continue falling in the new year, it’s not likely that cardholders…
Everything Americans thought they knew about personal finance was upended when the Federal Reserve started aggressively hiking interest rates to cool post-pandemic inflation. After more than a decade of ultralow rates, borrowers suddenly found themselves stuck in an unfamiliar, high-rate world — priced out of homes and cars, pushed deeper…
Homeowners tapping their equity in 2026 should expect borrowing to get more affordable, with rates reaching their lowest levels since at least 2023, according to Ted Rossman, Bankrate’s senior industry analyst. Rossman — who has covered the economy, interest rates, consumer debt and the Federal Reserve for more than a…
Image by Getty Images; Illustration by Bankrate Mortgage rates are unlikely to return to their pandemic lows in 2026, but they could still deliver some relief to borrowers. It’s possible that rates will even fall below the 6% threshold. “I expect the average 30-year fixed rate to fall below 6%…
Returns on certificates of deposit (CDs) saw gradual declines in 2025, before and after three Federal Reserve rate cuts in the second half of the year. Yields are likely to keep falling in 2026 — although the good news for CD savers is you can still lock in rates that…
Images by Getty Images/Illustration by Hunter Newton/Bankrate In 2024, three Federal Reserve rate cuts spurred declining yields on many deposit accounts, although savers were able to benefit from locking in strong yields on certificates of deposit (CDs). While the best CD rates are expected to drop further in 2025, they’re…
Most people have bills and utilities to pay every month. While many people pay these bills directly from their checking accounts or with a debit card, you can also use credit cards. One of the easiest ways to maximize your credit card rewards is to use cards for everyday spending…
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