Line of credit

A line of credit is a credit facility extended by a bank or other financial institution to a government, business or individual customer that enables the customer to draw on the facility when the customer needs funds. A financial institution makes available an amount of credit to a business or consumer during a specified period of time. A line of credit takes several forms, such as an overdraft limit, demand loan, special purpose, export packing credit, term loan, discounting, purchase of commercial bills, traditional revolving credit card account, etc. It is effectively a source of funds that can readily be tapped at the borrower's discretion. Interest is paid only on money actually withdrawn. Lines of credit can be secured by collateral, or may be unsecured. Lines of credit are often extended by banks, financial institutions and other licensed consumer lenders to creditworthy customers (though certain special-purpose lines of credit may not have creditworthiness requirements) to address fluctuating cash flow needs of the customer. The maximum amount of funds a customer is allowed to draw from a line of credit is typically called the credit limit or overdraft limit. The term credit limit is commonly used for credit cards whereas the term overdraft limit is more commonly used for bank accounts. Most personal lines of credit are unsecured. This means the borrower does not promise the lender any collateral for taking an unsecured line of credit. One exception is home equity lines of credit (HELOC), which are secured by the equity in homes. Secured lines of credit offer the lender the right to seize the asset in case of non-payment. Because their risk is lower, secured lines of credit typically come with a higher maximum credit limit and significantly lower interest rate. On the other hand, unsecured lines of credit have higher interest rates than secured lines of credit. A borrower must have a high credit score and good repayment history to meet the eligibility criteria for getting an unsecured line of credit.