Passbook loans: Paying to borrow your own money
Passbook loans are small loans that are backed by your savings.
Hanneh Bareham, a Certified Financial Education Instructor℠, is a freelance personal finance reporter. She started with Bankrate in 2020 as a staff credit cards reporter before transitioning into the role of student loans reporter. After shifting her focus to personal loans for two years, Hanneh rejoined the Bankrate team as a freelance writer in 2025 after a brief stint away to focus on her acting career. She has now furthered her scope across multiple forms of consumer lending, with a focus on student loan policy and debt management.
She has been featured in multiple national and regional media outlets, including CNN, CNBC, CBS, Business Insider, The Chicago Tribune, and more. Her desire to empower borrowers comes from her own experiences as a young adult managing her finances during a tumultuous economic climate. She aims to help others reach their goals through a better understanding of macroeconomic trends and policy.
When she's not checking her repayment strategies with a loan calculator, Hanneh enjoys screen acting, baking and trying to find the best cup of coffee on the East Coast.
You have a world of options at your fingertips when it comes to paying down your loans. Knowing what they are is the key to becoming debt-free.
— Hanneh Bareham
Passbook loans are small loans that are backed by your savings.
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