Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an unsecured loan?

An unsecured loan is defined by the fact that it is not backed by collateral. This means that unlike secured loans, which require the borrower to offer an asset (such as a home or car) as collateral to secure the loan, unsecured loans are based solely on the borrower's creditworthiness and promise to repay the loan.

Characteristics of unsecured loans include higher interest rates, as the absence of collateral presents a greater risk to lenders. If a borrower defaults on an unsecured loan, the lender faces challenges in recouping their investment, contributing to the elevated interest rates. Additionally, unsecured loans carry higher risk for lenders because they do not have any asset they can claim if the borrower fails to repay.

Thus, the presence of backing by collateral is the defining feature that differentiates secured loans from unsecured loans. Since unsecured loans do not involve collateral, identifying a characteristic that is not true for unsecured loans points directly to options that involve collateral, which directly implies that the choice referring to backing by collateral accurately represents a non-characteristic of unsecured loans.