A Loan Agreement is a legally binding document that parties use when one lends money to the other.
The parties that enter into a loan contract are a lender (the person loaning money to someone else) and a borrower (the person receiving a loan).
A Loan Agreement can either be secured or unsecured:
Secured: A secured loan is one that is issued and supported with collateral to be used in the event that the borrower can no longer make payments. Collateral is usually a physical asset that can be seized and/or sold off by the lender to pay the remaining balance of the loan, such as a car, a house, stocks, or bonds.
If there isn't a collateral clause in the contract, the lender would have to go to court to seize any of the borrower's assets. With a clause in place, the lender may still have to go to court to seize on the collateral, but the process tends to run smoother.
Unsecured: An unsecured loan is one that is issued without collateral. These kinds of loans tend to be more common when loaning money to friends or family members.
An unsecured loan may have higher interest rates to offset the risks to the lender for loaning money without collateral.
A Loan Agreement is also known as a:
- Term Loan
- Personal Loan Agreement
- Loan Contract