More About Interest Rate Cap And How To Take Advantage Of It

Borrowing money either for personal or for business use is now very common in most places. Financial establishments offer several different options for you to take advantage of. And as a borrower, you should know how you can greatly benefit from the options offered. One of the things that you should know about is an interest rate cap.

An interest rate cap serves as a hedge that protects the borrowers from rising short term rates. It works when a variable rate goes over the cap, the cap will be compensated for whatever difference may be between the cap price and the market variable rate. It can also be viewed as an agreement between the provider of the cap and the borrower. It limits the floating interest rate to a set level for a certain time period.

Additionally, an interest rate cap translates to a series of call options on an index of floating interest rates which normally involves 3 or 6 month Libor and it coincides with the rollover dates on the borrower's floating liabilities. Knowing this will greatly help a borrower stand on his feet again knowing that he will be paying the same all throughout the time period of his loan.

The borrower can greatly benefit from having this cap especially if he is set to pay the borrowed money within a short period of time only. He is protected against the increasing interest rates that most financial establishments add on top of the amount being borrowed. And when the market rates go above the cap rate, you will no longer have to worry because the cap rate provider has to make payments to the borrower or buyer of the cap to bring the interest rate back to the cap level which is actually a very big help and a huge advantage on the borrower's side.

The cap provider, on the other hand, does not need to make payments as long as the rates are below the cap, so the borrower is left to pay market rates. So now, you can rest assured that you do not need credit approval during this process, although it may involve an auction process with the help of a consultant. And this usually results in highly competitive pricing and terms.

Lastly, you as the borrower will be allowed to pay a variable rate and get to enjoy a fixed rate until the market rate goes above the cap. And so, it is really an advantage to know more about interest rate cap and how it can benefit you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mike_Timothy_Hawk/1735222                                  By  Mike Timothy Hawk