What is a Preferred Lender List?

By definition a preferred lender list is a list of lenders that a college suggests its students consider when taking out federally guaranteed loans. Students who receive a “preferred lender” list from a school should remember that those lists are not legally binding. Borrowers can choose from any federally approved lender and may often find a better deal outside the list.

As some of you may recall a handful of lenders were sanctioned for deceptive loan practices a couple of years ago. Among other things, they were sharing a portion of their loan revenue with the school’s financial aid office, which is a clear code of conduct violation. These financial aid officers were guiding students toward loan products that would offer them kickbacks. Fortunately for students today these unethical practices have come to a halt.

Heavy fines were levied and the Sunshine Act was born. The Sunshine Act protects students and parents from exploitation by private lenders and lenders who offer gifts to colleges as a way to secure loan business.

Keep in mind it is not a violation for a school to have a preferred lender list provided they are not reaping financial gains. So it is up to you if you are enrolled at a FFELP school. You can thumb through the schools preferred list or travel outside that list in search of your own lender to service your Stafford loan and Parent Plus loan.

What qualifies for a “mandatory” forbearance?

There are certain mandatory forbearances. Examples include borrowers who:

• are in a medical or dental internship or residency;
• have student loan payments that are 20 percent or more of their monthly income;
• have payments being made for them by the Department of Defense

Contact your lender or loan-servicing agent for more information on the mandatory forbearance benefit.

New program may help you repay federal student loans

2:00 AM CDT on Saturday, July 4, 2009

By PAMELA YIP / The Dallas Morning News
pyip@dallasnews.com Consumers struggling with federal student loans have a new option open to them in the form of an income-based repayment program – but it’s not for everyone.

Under Income-Based Repayment, your required monthly payment is capped at an amount that’s intended to be affordable based on your income and family size.
Federal student loans eligible under the plan:

• Stafford loans – the main federal loan for students.

• Grad PLUS loans.

• Most federal consolidation loans.

Loans not eligible:

• Parent PLUS [Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students] loans.

• Federal consolidation loans that include Parent PLUS loans.

• Private loans.

All eligible loans must be in good standing.

“We know many graduates are concerned about their ability to repay student loans in the current economic environment,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “This new plan addresses the issue head-on by giving them the option of a monthly payment tied to their income.”

The new repayment plan caps the monthly payments at a percentage of a borrower’s discretionary income. The payment amount is adjusted yearly, based on changes in annual income and family size.

Specifically, the program caps payments at 15 percent of the amount by which your adjusted gross income exceeds 150 percent of the federal poverty line for your family size.

Here’s an example from Mark Kantrowitz, a national expert on student financial aid and publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com:

Say a single borrower has $40,000 in federal education loans and an adjusted gross income of $30,000 a year. The 2009 poverty line for a single person is $10,830, and 150 percent of that is $16,245.

The repayment cap on monthly payments would be 15 percent of $13,755 ($30,000 minus $16,245) divided by 12 months, or $171.94 a month.

“This is considerably lower than the $460.32 a month which would be required under standard 10-year repayment or the $277.63 a month which would be required under extended 25-year repayment,” Kantrowitz said.

Income-based repayment is best for borrowers who have high debt relative to their income, but even borrowers with a lower debt-to-income ratio may benefit.

Even though the program is a good deal for financially strapped borrowers, you should understand other effects of the plan.

“It increases the repayment term up to 25 years, which increases the total interest paid over the life of the loan,” Kantrowitz said.

However, after 25 years of making the lower payments, borrowers’ remaining loan balances, including interest, will be completely forgiven.

For borrowers who enter public service fields, such as nursing, public interest law or nonprofit work, their debts will be forgiven after 10 years of service and loan payments.

“This is the first time in the Federal Family Education Loan Program that there is forgiveness for a borrower’s unpaid balance after the 25 years of payments,” said Patricia Scherschel, vice president at Sallie Mae, the nation’s largest student loan lender. “The plan has the ability to offer a low payment – a payment as low as zero dollars for those folks who really have low income compared to what their monthly debt burden would be for those loans.”

To apply, contact your lender or your loan servicing company, which collects your loan payments.

What is an income-contingent repayment plan?

An income-contingent monthly payment will be based on your annual income (and that of your spouse if you’re married), your family size, and the total amount of your Direct Loans.

Borrowers have 25 years to repay under this plan, the unpaid portion will then be forgiven. However, you may have to pay income tax on the amount that is forgiven.

This program takes effect July 1, and graduate and professional student PLUS borrowers in the Direct Loan program are eligible to use the ICR repayment plan. Direct Loan parent PLUS borrowers are not eligible for the ICR repayment plan.