
Federal loan consolidation is generally a good idea for college students graduating college and facing rising student loan repayments. For years many companies that provide student loans to a wide rangrof students such as SallieMae, AES, and EdAmerica have participated in the FFLEP federal government loan program.
In addition to many student loan companies, many banks such as Bank of America and Chase of JPMorganChase have gotten in on the student loan business, offering loans at competitive rates.While the economy was doing well, it was seen as a highly profitable business model to be involved in the student loan business. Students looking to consolidate their loans, both private and federal in some cases, could easily get great deals on consolidation agreements.
Many banks and lending companies were eager to work with students on their federal loan consolidation after their education was complete. Students were offered reductions of between 0.5% and 1.0% on the interest on their federal student loans if they agreed to certain terms. Offers such as reductions for paying on time for a number of months, having the amount taken out right from their paycheck, paying online, and more were common during the late 1990s through the early to mid 2000s.
However in 2008 and 2009 with the economy going into a recession, banks closing, credit getting harder to find, and the whole sub prime mortgage meltdown; many student loan lenders and banks are feeling the heat. Many have announced job layoffs in their companies and more and more companies are exiting the student loan business completely. It is important to note that some companies stopped participating in the federal loan program before the economic downturn.
What does this all mean for federal loan consolidation?
Consolidating your loans is usually a good idea and can save you interest money in the long run. The majority of the companies that are exiting the FFLEP program and the disbursement of student loans are mostly banks that deal in other areas of lending. Major student loan companies such as Sallie Mae and AES continue to offer both private and federal loans through their programs.
If you can consolidate your federal loans you should try to do it. Students should be aware of the fact that while many lending companies are still fully participating in the federal student loan program, more and more are suspending or discontinuing their federal loan consolidation programs. Sallie Mae is one of the large lenders that has announced a suspension on any new requests for federal loan consolidations. As interest rates on loans across the board have dropped, especially on federal loans, and as funding has slowed it would appear that offering consolidation on already low rate loans isn’t currently profitable. The good news seems to be that federal loans and private loans are still available for students. Federal loans historically offer far lower interest rates and less fees then private student loans and continue to do so.
If you are nearing the end of your grace period on your federal loans, speak with your lenders to see if they still offer consolidation on federal loans. If not you may be able to consolidate with another lender or wait until conditions improve and try for federal loan consolidation later down the line.
For up to date information on federal loan consolidations, status of FFLEP participation, and more on funding college visit : http://www.finaid.org/loans/ .
How Consolidation Centers Assist with Student Loans
Student loan payments can get as large as car loan payments and even house mortgage payments. They are no joke and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Often a student may obtain several kinds of student loans
throughout an educational career, especially students who go on to graduate school and doctoral programs. Consolidation centers allow a graduated student to effectively move all public i.e. non-private loans into one type of loan. While the same can be done for private loans, the conditions are not the same.
Several consolidation centers exist including Nelnet, the College Loan Corporation and Sallie Mae. All are enabled with the ability of managing debt from Government loans such as Stafford loans. Due to their ties with Government lending these loans are protected by the same laws that govern Federally administered student loans and are therefore not easily discharged. However, these companies may offer incentives to consolidate such as the following:
-Lower interest rates
-Fixed interest rates
-Cash reimbursement for consistent loan payments
-Interest rate deduction for extended loan payments
-Reduced interest rate for automatic payment withdrawal
These incentives, if offered can save a borrower a great deal of money and financial heartache if taken advantage of. For example, a student loan of $10,000.00 at 7% interest a year equals $58.00/month in interest alone. Add to that payment to the original loan and you may be looking at close to $100.00/month. With an interest rate reduction of 2% the interest payment goes down to $41.67 assuming a non-compounded fixed annualized rate. That is to say, if the interest is calculated monthly the rate will readjust to reflect the lower amount in the loan. So for example, if the $10,000.00 loan is now $9.950.00 the next months nominal interest rate if calculated monthly on an annualized basis would be $41.46. In other words, the terms of the loan and the interest rates are important to saving you money and making the payments easier.Student loan consolidation centers also offer different payment plans. Three such plans are the “graduated” payment plan, “standard” payment plan and “income contingent” payment plan. These plans help a graduated student make payments in relation to his or her income at the time. Loans
can also be put on deferment which allows an individual to place loan payments on hold with or without continuing amortization on the loan depending on the circumstances. The payment plans are described as follows:
Graduated Payment Plan: This plan allows one to start off at one rate for a period of about 2-3 years, following which the monthly payment rises a certain amount like 8%. This plan assumes the debtor will achieve a rise in income over time and therefore accounts for a proportional rise in loan payments. Standard Payment Plan: The standard payment plan takes the whole loan and amortizes i.e. calculates interest payments and loan payments for the life of the loans payback period. This payback period can be pre-determined but can also extend to as long as 25 years. In this instance the payments are the same over the life of the loan.
Income Contingent Payment Plan: The income contingent Payment plan is for individuals who want to better match their loan payments against their income level. For example, if one is not earning enough to make either standardized or graduated payments, this plan allows a third option making possible lower payments. It is important to note however that if a monthly payment does not equal that of the interest rate, the loan will negatively amortize i.e. increase in size despite payments. At this point all lower payments can do is slow the growth of the loan.
Deferment: In deferment a loan is put on hold in terms of payments. In school deferments are allowable for students who re-enroll in school for more than half time and out of school deferments are offered in conditions of financial hardship.Student loan consolidation centers are generally there to help a borrower and not make life worse. While the loan conditions may not be ideal they may be better than any other available alternatives. It is important to research ones financial condition, and the different companies that offer payment plans and loan consolidation. Things one might consider looking for might include the following:
-Helpful and Courteous Loan representatives
-Credible business practices and track record
-An array of payment plans and interest rate incentives
-Good access to one’s loan information, payback status and other financial information Student loans are a serious financial responsibility and payments are fortunately tax deductible as of the date of this article. A good consolidation company can make the process of managing the debt easier and more realistic. While the debt may be scary, the consolidation plan can help make it less scary and that is why these companies are useful.
Disclaimer: The information in this article may not be accurate as student loan companies may change their policy and or repayment terms. The author of this article does not assume any responsibility, liability or indemnification for any results or occurrences associated with the use of the information contained is this article. The reader may use the information at their own descretion and liability.
Reduce Your Student Loan Debt
Many working Americans are faced with a looming student loan debt when they get out of college. These student loan debts can haunt people
for years. The benefits to reducing student loan debts are immeasurable, but many don’t know how to go about reducing their debt. Why Is Reducing Your Debt So Important
Reducing student loan debts is important for a myriad of reasons. After spending years getting an education that will afford you a comfortable lifestyle, the last thing anybody wants is to work another 10 years trying to pay off debts they incurred as students. Reducing these debts will enable you to enjoy the fruits of your labor. When you graduate from college you are ready to meet the world as an adult. Being out in the professional world entails looking the part. This can usually mean you will need to buy a new wardrobe so you can look the part. Reducing student load debts will help make this necessity more affordable. If you don’t have to worry about debts incurred in the past, you can spend more time thinking about a bright future.
Benefits of Reducing Student Loan Debt
Having to concern yourself with paying off student loan debts, makes choosing a job a trickier task. When you are concerned with paying off a debt, it can affect the type of job you take. Instead of being free to choose the job of your dreams that will fulfill you on a personal level, you have to concern yourself with how well it will pay. This could limit your prospects and cause you to miss out on an opportunity to start off small in the company you may really want to work with. Instead of having the time to grow with a job, you have to worry about the bottom line right away. This can lead you down a path of regret. You don’t want to look back after 20 years and wish you had taken the job you really wanted.
There are many benefits to reducing your student loan debt, these are just a few. There are a plethora of options out there available to you that can help you reduce your debt. Think of it as your last step in your college journey.
Steps You Can Take To Eliminate College Loan Debt
There are a lot of different options available to a person who has recently graduated from college that can help eliminate their debt faster. One of these options is to consolidate their loan. Often times, it takes several loans to be able to afford all of the expenses of college. By
consolidating all of your loan debts into one payment you can help yourself go a long way in eliminating your debt at a quicker pace. The first thing you need to do is check with your financial institution and ask them about debt consolidation. There are many companies out there that offer this option as well. Once you have done this, you will be amazed at the difference it can make.
Benefits to Consolidating Your College Loan Debt
The benefits to consolidating your college loan debt are wide ranging. The first thing you may notice is how much more organized it will make you feel. By consolidating your college loan debt into one payment, you will only be getting one bill. You no longer will have to worry about missing a payment because it got lost in the sea of paperwork you get flooded with in the mail. Since you will only have one bill department to deal with, you have a better chance of arranging a more flexible payment schedule, which can help ensure you will always make your payment on time thereby not incurring any late fees. Another bonus to consolidating your college loan debt is that you can lock in a fixed interest rate, which will reduce your monthly payment. This interest rate will save you thousands each year.
As you can see, getting rid of and eliminating your college loan debt can be done. Give one of these options a try and you too can get out of debt faster.