Personal loans are fairly small general purpose lending tools that enable people to borrow money. This type of funding can include unsecured personal loans and secured personal loans. It might also include payday loans, which are very-short term deals that are normally paid off in a day or two. While personal loan rates tend to be lower than credit cards, they generally cost more than mortgage loans. Bad credit personal loans, however, can come at a rather hefty price. This type of funding is generally sought out when people need to borrow a few thousand dollars to do things like consolidate debt, make home improvements or even fund vacations.