A few years ago 620 was considered a reasonably good credit score which could help you refinance your home equity loan, bad credit notwithstanding, to a better rate. However, the credit crunch has seen major changes on the credit market making it difficult to refinance with even a much higher credit score.
The Home Equity Loan: Bad Credit Makes Refinancing a Bad Economic Decision
When refinancing your home equity loan bad credit can have a serious impact on the feasibility of making this move. It isn’t so much a question of whether you can refinance, it’s more a matter of whether you want to.

The thresholds have changed drastically over the past few years so that anyone with a credit score below 740, which used to be considered an excellent score, is now charged more in interest. So, if you are looking to refinance your home equity loan bad credit can have a major impact and detract from the value of doing it at all.
Before you make the leap, you need to decide whether or not it is worth the extra payments in the long run. While it may seem like a good idea now because you are strapped for cash, you need to consider the long term impact, which can lead to you digging yourself into an even deeper hole of debt.
You most likely ended up with a bad credit score because you couldn’t make your payments on time. So, if you refinance your home equity loan bad credit will make those payments even higher because there is little chance of you getting a deal that is better than your current interest rate.
Even if you merely want to refinance your home equity loan, bad credit aside, to lower your monthly payments by extending the term you will find that you may be better off struggling with the higher payments you have now. First, because you are probably going to end up with a much higher interest rate and second because paying for a longer period of time will only increase your overall interest costs for the duration of the loan.
Essentially, when refinancing your home equity loan bad credit will determine whether or not this is an economically sound move, but you also need to consider that extending your loan can be just as bad as a loan with a higher interest. Yes, you might make life easier for yourself in the short term but you will probably end up regretting the decision a few years down the line.
When contracting a new home equity loan bad credit will have a similarly negative impact, which is why it may be wise to try and raise your credit score a little first. Anyone can increase their credit score by 20 points in 30 days, but you need to do a little digging first. It’s often a good idea to use a specialized agency to advise you on the best course of action.
Remember, that if you are considering refinancing your home equity loan, bad credit will probably push the interest rates up so much that it won’t make any sense to do it. However, you need to do some research to find out what interest rates you will be offered and then you need to sit down and work out the numbers. Only then will you know for certain if it is an economically sound course of action.





