| |
Information on
federal credit card payment requirments
Consolidating Your Government Student Loans
A Consolidation Loan allows you to combine your federal student loans into a single loan with one monthly payment, which can be significantly lower than the payment required under the standard 10-year repayment option. Under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, banks, secondary markets, credit unions, and other lenders provide the Consolidation Loans. Under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program, the federal government provides the loans.
Most federal education loans are eligible for consolidation, including subsidized and unsubsidized Direct and FFEL Stafford Loans, SLS, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Nursing Loans, and Health Education Assistance Loans. Private education loans are not eligible. PLUS Loan borrowers (parent borrowers) also can consolidate their loans.
To apply for a Direct Loan Consolidation or an FFEL Consolidation the borrower must contact the lender and complete an application. Most lenders provide borrowers with the ability to apply on-line or request an application over the telephone. Once an application is completed and submitted, the lender will request information from the borrowers other lenders or from its own system to determine the amounts outstanding on the borrowers loans. The borrower will then receive notification about the consolidation loan, normal consumer disclosures, the amount owed, and if appropriate, where to make payments.
Always Consider the Cost
You should keep in mind that although consolidation can simplify loan repayment and lower your monthly payment, it also can significantly increase the total cost of repaying your loans. Consolidation offers lower monthly payments by giving borrowers up to 30 years to repay their loans. So, you'll make more payments and pay more in interest. In fact, in some situations consolidation can double your total interest expense. If you don't need monthly payment relief, you should compare the cost of repaying your unconsolidated loans against the cost of repaying a consolidation loan. You also should take into account the impact of losing any borrower benefits offered under non-consolidated repayment plans. Borrower benefits, which may include interest rate discounts, principal rebates, or some loan cancellation benefits can significantly reduce the cost of repaying your loans.
About the Author
For Part II of this article please visit:
http://www.american-lenders.org/goverment_student_loan
More Useful Resource and Updates on federal credit card payment requirments
- Color of Money Book Club (Washington Post)
Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary will host an online discussion with Carolyn Warren, author of "Mortgage Rip-Offs and Money Savers" (John Wiley and Sons), on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Noon ET.
- CIBC Announces Third Quarter 2008 Results (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance)
CIBC announced net income of $71 million for the third quarter ended July 31, 2008, compared with net income of $835 million for the same period last year. Diluted earnings per share were $0.11, compared with diluted EPS of $2.31 a year ago.
- Schnurman: Borrowing from your 401(k) can be smart, not crazy (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
The key is being savvy and disciplined.
- Consider consolidating student loans (The Springfield News-Leader)
When college alumni show up for homecoming weekend and hold forth about how much better things were when they were in school, it's usually the beer talking. But graduates who boast about the great deals they got on their federal student loans probably aren't exaggerating. As recently as three years ago, savvy borrowers who consolidated their loans were able to lock in rates as low as 2.88 percent.
- TD Bank Financial Group Reports Third Quarter 2008 Results; Raises Dividend (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Reported diluted earnings per share were $1.21, compared with
- Struggling Lenders Continue to Suspend Federal and Private Student Loan Programs (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)
Despite federal legislation passed in May that was designed to help the struggling student loan industry, cash-strapped lenders continue to drop out of the student loan business, leaving families throughout the country scrambling to find a new student loan provider as 6.7 million undergraduates prepare to head back to school.
- TD Bank Financial Group Reports Third Quarter 2008 Results; Raises Dividend (CNW Group via Yahoo! Finance)
TD Bank Financial Group today announced its financial results for the third quarter ended July 31, 2008. Overall results for the quarter reflected solid earnings contributions from TDBFG's personal and commercial banking operations in both Canada and the United States and its Wealth Management segment, while the performance of Wholesale Banking was affected by continuing challenges in financial ...
- Capturing the Youth Vote: McCain, Obama Target Concerns About Paying for College (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)
With the general presidential election only months away, concerns over the availability of student loans and how families will cover their college costs continue to be at the forefront of young voters' minds, in the midst of a dragging economy where credit is tight, unemployment is up, and high gas and food prices continue to eat away at families' paychecks.
- Colleges, trade schools feel the pinch as lenders quit or restrict school loans (St. Louis Business Journal)
Mildred Elley is losing 60 to 70 recruits a year who fail to qualify for loans, as banks and other lenders continue to tighten standards and abandon the education funding business.
- New programs await students at Telstar (The Lewiston Sun Journal)
BETHEL - Telstar High School's 280 students will be greeted by a bright, landscaped entranceway when they begin classes. The new entrance and canopy, at a cost of about $92,000, is among two facility changes made for this school year. There are also several staff and program additions.
|
|
|
