For almost five years, my husband and I would ride together to our jobs in Bellaire from our house in Meyerland. We basically had the same schedule so it was perfect.  Catch up at the end of the day, dinner together, the whole thing.  But that lasted until last Christmas when his company laid off 30% of their employees.

In the time he was out of a job, we got stuck with bad credit and depleted our savings. We both lost our credit card privileges too.  His new job in South Houston came along just when we weren’t sure if we could make the mortgage payment on the house we bought ten years ago.

But South Houston is not on my commute, so we now had a new expense.  We would have to get a second car. With poor credit, I couldn’t imagine who would loan us the money.

The solution was to use the Toyota Corolla as collateral for down payment money. It was a 2004 and we finished the payments in three years, so we were eligible for a title loan.  I searched on Google for “emergency fast cash” and up popped Houston Car Title Loans. That car is good for at least a $4000 loan, a healthy down payment on Hank’s new (2003) Toyota Highlander.  He says its a man car.  I say fine, now just pay for it yourself with your man dollars. 

The online application could not have been easier. This is not like at a store somewhere on Westheimer Road where you stand in line and deal with someone behind thick glass. The cash was sent by EFT into our checking account in one day. Hank had his SUV in about two days — just before he started his new job.  Fast auto title loans are the only way people like us can buy essentials, like a car to get to work.

- Kerrianne L.

My water heater is on its last legs just when I have lost my job and am already gotten behind in my bills. With bad credit, where will I find the fast cash to buy a new one?

Complicating things, I had hoped to buy a tankless water heater, the energy- and water-efficient models that instantly heat your water on demand.  They take up less space, save 34% of energy costs with every monthly bill and save about six gallons a day on water use (you don’t have to run the tap so long waiting for the hot temp water to arrive).  If I install it in 2009, I get a federal tax credit of $300.  Our local hardware store is offering these heaters now in a pre-purchase sale.  You sign the contract with a $300 down payment today, you get the water heater at 15% off and the tax credit next year.

I hate missing out on deals like this, especially since it will pay me back over time.  So I went to Houston Car Title Loans for a simple $900 against the title on my old 1999 Honda.  The online application allowed me to avoid going to that storefront car title place on Bellaire Boulevard here in Houston.  It was a 20 minute investment of time and I got the loan the next day in my checking account.

An automobile title loan in the right place and right time can translate into major home energy improvement savings – even for me, a guy with no job and nowhere else to borrow from.

My father, grandmother and aunt all died of colon cancer.  My sister caught it at stage 3, has been ill for four years now.  They had to declare bankruptcy because of all the medical bills.

So all immediate family members are supposed to get frequent colonoscopies, at least every three years.  When I worked at my job in Galena Park, that was no problem.  They gave us great health insurance, and my out-of-pocket costs were only $200.  But since the layoff in 2006 I’ve been been taking temp work with no insurance.  I was supposed to get my colonoscopy in 2007, but couldn’t afford the full $2700 cost.

With a smaller income I have gotten buried in bills and now have bad credit.  I’ve even had trouble paying my landlord a few months and considered moving away from Magnolia Park.  So $2700 looks impossible.

But I was worried (stomach aches make you think you have it), so I went online and found Houston Car Title Loans.  I found out my Ford Truck is good for a $4000 loan — enough to cover the hospital and doctor fees. The loan is all done on the Internet — you fill out an online application, they send you an email saying you’re approved that day, and the money is sent electronically to your checking account.  It’s fast cash, which is good when you’re worried about something.

They found a few polyps but I don’t have cancer.  What surprised me is I feel more energized about job hunting.  I highly recommend getting title loans if you’re worried but can’t afford to see a doctor.

– Lester M.