Financial Glossary
Financial documents will often contain industry-specific terms that may not commonly appear in other contexts. If you come across unfamiliar words or phrases, no need to worry. This financial glossary was created to simplify financial terminology and alleviate the frustration of interpreting your financial statements.
A
APR (Annual Percentage Rate)
The annual cost of borrowing money, expressed as a percentage rate.
Authorized User
A person authorized to make charge on someone else’s credit card, but who is not responsible for making payments.
Automatic Bill Pay
A bill-paying method in which a borrower sets up automatic payments to be withdrawn from their credit or savings account monthly, to make payments on their credit card bill.
Available Credit
The amount of credit available to the cardholder during any given period.
B
Balance
The amount owed by the borrower, including all transactions, interest charges and fees minus credits and payments.
Balance Transfer
The process of transferring the balance of one credit card or loan to another credit card or loan, to consolidate debt or qualify for a lower interest rate.
Bank
A financial institution established for the purpose of holding deposits of money and issuing financial products to borrowers.
Bankruptcy
A federal court proceeding that helps a borrower with debt relief, by helping to create a repayment plan or liquidate assets to pay debts.
Borrower
A person who borrows money, credit, or some other form of financial asset from a lender.
C
Card Replacement Fee
A fee charged by the lender, to the borrower, to replace a lost credit card.
Cash Advance
A short-term loan from a bank or other financial institution, usually with a high interest rate and fees.
Charge-off
When the borrower’s account is permanently closed and written off as a loss to the lender, although the debt is still owed.
Checking Account
An account with a financial institution where a person deposits their money and is issued checks to make purchases or payments on a credit account.
Collections
When a credit card or other form of loan account enters delinquency, and the lender or a third-party collections company attempts to collect payment from the borrower. In collections, the borrower may receive notices in the form of calls, letters, emails, texts, or other communications, as the lender attempts to collect on the debt.
Consumer
A person who purchases goods or services for their personal use.
Cosigner
A person who signs for a credit card account or other type of loan product as assurance for the creditworthiness of the primary signer and who becomes responsible for the debt obligation.
Credit
An issuance by a lender of the right to borrow money based on the determination of an individual’s creditworthiness and agreed upon terms of repayment.
Credit Bureaus
Companies that form a picture of a person’s creditworthiness in the form of a credit report and a credit score.
Credit Card
A financial product issued by a credit card lender or servicer, with a specified credit limit determined by the borrower’s creditworthiness, that can be used to make purchases.
Credit Card Statement
A monthly statement issued by the credit card lender or servicer that could include the borrower’s statement period charges, fees charged, credits or payments, available credit, current balance, and payment information.
Credit Limit
The maximum amount of credit that a lender extends to a borrower on a credit card or a line of credit, usually determined by an evaluation of the borrower’s creditworthiness.
Credit Limit Increase
An increase in the maximum amount of credit on a borrower’s credit card or line of credit, usually based on a positive change in the borrower’s creditworthiness.
Credit Report
A summary of a person’s credit activity and current credit situation. Lenders use this information to make decisions about extending credit to borrowers.
Credit Score
A three-digit number that represents a borrower’s creditworthiness, based on that borrower’s credit history. The history of a person’s credit usually includes factors like amount of current debt, number of accounts, repayment history, credit utilization ratio, and other factors.
Credit Utilization Ratio
The total amount of credit that a borrower has available to them compared to the amount that they’ve used.
Creditworthiness
A measure of how likely a borrower is to repay or default on extended credit, based on a lender’s assessment.
Customer Service
The perceived satisfaction of an interaction between a customer and representative from an organization. Good customer service is critical to ensuring brand loyalty and repeat business.
D
Debt
Money or other material of value owed to a person or business.
Debt Relief
Any number of ways in which a borrower can manage or resolve their outstanding debt.
Delinquency
When a payment is missed on a credit card or other loan account, the account enters delinquency.
Due Date
The date on which a payment is owed on an account.
F
Fees
Any fee added to an account balance. Fees could include an activation fee, monthly maintenance fee, late fees, over-the-limit fees, or any other standard fee.
FICO Score
A credit score created by the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO). Lenders use FICO scores, as well as other factors, to determine a borrower’s creditworthiness.
Foreign Transaction Fee
A fee charged on transactions made in a foreign country.
Fraud
An illegal attempt by a person to obtain an account holder’s personal information, for the purpose of stealing their money.
G
Grace Period
A period of time after the due date on an account in which payment can be made without penalty.
H
Hardships
A hardship occurs when a borrower experiences a life event that causes them to be unable to make payments on their credit card or loan account. Hardships can include job loss, illness, injury, or other factors.
I
Identity Theft
When a borrower’s personal information is stolen for the purposes of illegally opening credit accounts in their name or stealing their money.
Income
Money earned or received from a job or services rendered. Income can include wages, tips, commissions, dividends or investments, tax refunds, inheritance, etc.
Interest
A fee charged by a lender, and paid by a borrower, for the use of money. Interest may also be paid to the borrower in certain types of savings accounts.
Interest Rate
A percentage of a sum borrowed that is charged by a lender to a borrower for the use of money.
L
Liability
An obligation or something owed, such as money or some other type of debt.
Line of Credit
A preset borrowing limit that can be used like cash to make purchases or other types of payments.
Loan
A preset amount of money or credit that a person or financial institution extends to a borrower for a set period, and usually with predetermined repayment terms.
M
Minimum Payments
The minimum amount a borrower can pay per month on their credit account to remain in good standing with the lending company.
Mobile Banking
The act of completing financial transactions, or reviewing account information, on a mobile device.
O
Online Banking
The process of completing financial transactions via the internet.
Online or Mobile Bill Payment
The method of paying bills over the internet by setting up those payments via the lender’s website or app.
P
Past Due
An account where at least one statement due date has passed without a payment being made.
Prepayment
The payment of a debt in full before it comes due.
Principal
The original sum of money borrowed before interest or fees were added to the balance.
R
Repayment
The process of paying back money borrowed.
S
Salary
Compensation received by an employee for services performed.
Savings Account
An account with a financial institution used for saving money that usually pays interest.
Scam
A plan devised by a dishonest person or persons, intended to defraud someone out of something of value, like money or personal property.
Secured Credit Card
A credit card that requires a cash security deposit.
Social Security Number
A unique nine-digit number issued by the federal government for the purpose of identifying an individual. Financial institutions use a person’s social security number to help verify their identity and obtain information about their credit activity.
T
Term
A fixed period of time in which a borrower has to make repayment on a credit account.
Transaction Fee
A fee charged each time a credit card is used for a certain type of transaction.
U
Unsecured Credit Card
A credit card that does not need to be secured by a cash deposit.
W
Wage
Compensation received by an employee for services performed.
Y
Year to Date (YTD)
A period of time beginning on the first day of the current calendar or fiscal year up to the current date.