US Dept. Of Educations "Katrina Specific" Help Website

The Dept. Of Education has set up a website specifically for those affected Hurricane Katrina.

Some of the topics are:

How to Get Help
Donate and Volunteer
Finding Friends and Information
Health and Safety
Hurricane Contracting Information Center
White House Hurricane Relief
Additional Resources

Interest Rate Increase Closing In

Thinking about consolidating your student loan debt? You have until June 30, 2006, before new interest rates kick in. However, if you are a new graduate, you'll want to weigh the pros and cons of consolidation loans fairly quickly. After graduation, you have a six-month grace period before the loan payments begin. By consolidating during the grace period, you save about one-half a percentage point. A summer 2005 graduate could lock in a 4.7 percent rate on Stafford loans, rather than the 5.3 percent rate that kicks in at the start of the repayment period.

The only drawback to consolidating during your grace period is you'll need to start making payments immediately. Not ready to give up those blissful, payment-free months? You could keep much of your grace period by waiting to consolidate until the last month of the grace period..

With a federal consolidation loan, your lender pays off the balances of all the loans you choose to consolidate and then issues you a new loan. Keep in mind though that once you consolidate your loans, there's no going back.

"Once you consolidate there is no way to un-consolidate," says Patricia Scherschel, vice president of loan consolidation at Sallie Mae. "Consolidation is a one-way street."

The interest rate on a consolidation loan is determined by taking the weighted average of interest rates on the federal education loans the student has and rounding up to the nearest one-eighth of a percentage point, capped at 8.25 percent. The final rate will differ from student to student.

Many borrowers sign on for a consolidation loan because they need more breathing room in their monthly budgets. A consolidation loan can lower a borrower's monthly loan payment by as much as 40 percent while stretching out the repayment period.

If your student loan payments add up to more than 8 percent of your gross monthly salary, you're a good candidate for a consolidation loan.

And you don't need multiple loans to enjoy the benefits of a consolidation loan. If your loan amount is high enough, typically $7,500 or more, you may be able to consolidate a single loan. Even though the initial interest rate on that loan won't change much, it will lock in these lower rates for the life of the loan.

Forbearance Issues

I received this email from Cody of Houston, TX recently regarding his student loan:

"Manny - found your blog. I want to know if others are having the same problems with the Direct Loan Servicing Federal Student Aid program.

I live in Houston where I had a few leaves blown off my tree by Rita. The government automatically deferred my student loan payments without my consent. I accrued two months of interest on my balance amounting to about $200. Upon the restart of my payments, my monthly payment went up by $7/month with 72 months to go. Cumulatively, this would amount to roughly $510 of payments on $200 of accrued interest though my interest rate had not changed from the 4 5/8% it was previously. When I raised this red flag to the DLS, they stated that my loan had been miscalculated from the get-go and this was the new payment.

I called B.S. and have requested paperwork on the loan recalculation be sent to me in writing.
Please let me know if you hear of other cases."

Thanks for sharing your experience Cody. Mandatory forbearance (automatically granting forbearance) is not unheard of in times of disaster. But I was under the impression that one still had to request it, or at least sign some kind of written agreement. The whole thing sounds like a big mistake to me, but I think you did the right thing by requesting proof of their claims.
Please keep me updated, I would like to know how everything turns out.

Manny

Where Are My Student Loans?

Can't remember where you got your loan? Use this Loan Locator.

All you need is your Social Security No. and your date of birth to get the info for your primary loan contact.

Going Back To School

It is now easy to restore your eligibility to receive additional Title IV federal financial aid. Basically, your options are:

Repay or satisfy the loan in full.

Make six agreed-upon monthly payments over a six month period. Your payment amount must be approved in advance by the Department. Every qualifying payment must be timely (received before the due date) and you cannot make all six payments as a single lump sum payment. Once your eligibility to receive additional federal financial aid has been restored after making six consecutive monthly payments, you must continue to make timely monthly payments to maintain your eligibility or else it will be permanently lost until the debt is resolved entirely. In other words, you may qualify for this program only once.

Consolidate your loan through the FFEL loan consolidation program or the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program.

Rehabilitate your loan through the FSA loan rehabilitation program.

Since defaulted student loans have no statute of limitations for enforceability, you would remain ineligible for additional federal financial aid until you complete one of the options mentioned above.

Defaulted Student Loans

If you default on your student loan, the maturity date of each promissory note is accelerated making payment in full immediately due, and you are no longer eligible for any type of deferment or forbearance. Continued failure to repay a loan in default may lead to several negative consequences for you over the long-term including having your wages garnished, your Federal income tax withheld, and losing your eligibility for other federal loans like FHA or VA.

However, there are now more ways than ever before to repay your defaulted student loan and certain programs even can even remove your loan from its defaulted status. Determining which repayment option that is right for you depends on what your objective is.

"I want to pay my defaulted student loan in monthly payments that are affordable to me."

All guaranty agencies and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will accept regular monthly payments that are both reasonable to the agency and affordable to you. You should call 1-800-621-3115 (US Dept. Of Education)and one of customer service representatives will assist you with determining a repayment amount that is right for you.

"I want to reestablish my eligibility for additional federal financial aid and go back to school."

Please see Going Back to School for more information on this topic.

"I'm applying for a HUD (FHA) or VA loan and I don't qualify because of my defaulted student loan."

Your options for reinstating your eligibility to receive a HUD (FHA) or VA loan are: repay or satisfy the loan in full; consolidate your loan through the FFEL loan consolidation program or the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program; or rehabilitate your loan through our loan rehabilitation program. Since defaulted student loans have no statute of limitations for enforceability, you would remain ineligible to receive a HUD or VA loan until you complete one of the options mentioned above.

"My credit record is tarnished because of my defaulted student loan. Is there anything that I can do to improve my credit record?"

Failure to repay your defaulted student loan can be damaging to your credit record. In fact, consumer reporting agencies may continue to report an account for 7 years from the opening date. However, there are several things that you can do to at least partially, and in some cases, fully restore your credit record. Your options for bettering your credit report include: repay or satisfy the loan in full; consolidate your loan through the FFEL loan consolidation program or the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program; or rehabilitate your loan through the FSA loan rehabilitation program.

If you want all negative credit reports made by the Department to your credit record, you must successfully complete the loan rehabilitation program.

"Can I pay my defaulted student loan held by the Department by credit card?"

Absolutely. They accept American Express, Discover, Master Card and Visa as repayment options. To repay a loan by credit card, please call the Department of Education at 1-800-621-3115.

What address do I send my payments to?

If you have a defaulted student loan held by the Department of Education, you can mail a check or money order to the address below. If you are at all unsure about the status of your loan, or who currently holds your loan, please call first at 1-800-621-3115 before sending in payment. You may also use Loan Locator to help you find out what lenders currently hold your loan(s).

National Payment Center
P.O. Box 4169
Greenville, TX 75403-4169