Mary Beth Eastman

High origination fees: All loans are charged an origination fee, which can be as high as 9.99%. This is higher than what many other personal loan lenders charge, and will reduce the amount you have available to spend or pay off creditors.
High APRs: Even on the low end, Universal Credit’s APRs are higher than many other competitors. (If you have bad credit, expect to pay a rate around 30%, regardless of the lender you choose.)

Writer

Award-winning journalist
Mortgage and personal loan expert
Bylines at The Balance, U.S. News & World Report, CNN, and New York Post

Experience

Mary Beth Eastman is a personal finance writer and award-winning journalist. Eastman has worked as an editor for The Beaver County Times, content manager at West Hall Publishing and Consulting, and content editor for The Balance and Investopedia. She has provided her expertise to Money Under 30, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, Newsweek Vault, CNN, CNN Underscored, Bankrate, and New York Post.

Eastman won awards from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, the Pennsylvania Women's Press Association, and the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors for design. She is a member of ACES: The Society for Editing and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Expertise

Mortgages
Insurance
Student loans
Credit cards
Home equity loans
Home buying

Education

Eastman has a bachelor's in journalism from Bowling Green State University.