Government Debt Consolidation Loans – Update

John Mailer asked:


Once a grantee needs to start paying his student loans, it is advisable that he seek loan consolidation. Student loans usually have varying interest charges, but with consolidation, the grantee is commonly locked into a lower interest rate and installment amounts, and therefore a loan easier to pay.

The Process Of Consolidation

Loan consolidation is simply taking out the existing loans from lenders and pooling them into a single loan. Taking out means the consolidator pays each lender a balloon payment for the outstanding loan balance, thus assuming the loan risks. The consolidator then restructures the loan, resulting in lower repayment amounts, but usually a longer payment term. However, a consolidator may maintain or even lessen the rates, depending on the creditworthiness of the loan grantee. The terms vary on a case-to-case basis.

Types Of Government Student Consolidation Loans

Generally, two types of government student loan consolidation schemes. The first is direct consolidation loans. This is making payments directly to the US government Department of Education, bypassing any bank or secondary lending institution that may have lent you the monies firsthand.

The second scheme is the FFEL (Federal Family Education Loans) consolidation loan program. This government student loan consolidation scheme uses a new lender between the original lender and the federal government. Included in this scheme are standard student loans such as Stafford loans, PLUS loans and Perkins loans.

However, some states also offer government student loan consolidation programs funded from the state treasuries. They are also competitive programs in terms of repayment and interest, often tailor-fitting the plans to unique state or university requirements.

States without state-funded programs such as Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada and Wyoming use USA (United Student Aid) Funds as the national guarantor of their government student loan consolidation programs.

Benefits of Direct Consolidation Program

In this program, government-subsidized loan interests continue to be subsidized, and exhausted deferments might be renewed. These benefits are not readily available in any other private or government student loan consolidation programs. Private programs usually tack on additional interest charges for taking out loans for consolidation.

Benefits of State Student Loan Consolidation

Being more place-specific, state loan consolidation programs are generally more forgiving and flexible. Many states offer benefits for on-time or advanced payments, reduce interest rates on diminishing balances or direct withdrawal repayment methods, or include deferment options for qualified students in their menu.

In many instances, your state can offer the best government student loan consolidation options. Be sure not to skip exploring them.

In conclusion, whichever way one may look at it, availing of a government student loan consolidation program, whether state or direct, will benefit the loan grantee trying to pay off his student loans in many ways beyond simply reduced worries and hassle.



Create a video blog…instantly.

Jack Sinclair asked:


With interest rates rising, and your repayments on your variable rate student loan rising, you might be wondering if a consolidation loan would be a good idea.

Right now, the sub-prime mortgage crisis is causing a lot of problems for a lot of people. Rising interest rates mean the mortgage payments are rising, and many people are no longer able to meet the minimum required payments, so financial institutions are foreclosing, evicting people, and selling the homes for whatever they can.

Tempers are getting so bad, that evicted owners are starting to vandalize their own homes – ripping out toilets, destroying electrical panels, and defacing walls and fixtures that can’t be taken. It has gotten so bad, that companies like Prudential are now offering incentives to evicted homeowners to leave the home in selling condition.

So, what does this mean for you and your student loans? Well, the financial institutions make their money on an interest-rate spread – the difference betweeen what they pay to to Federal Reserve, and the amount you pay to them. So as long as the spread is positive, they are making money, and everyone is happy.

This means that a new consolidation loan would be taken out at a new, higher interest rate (since rates are going up), and the only way you could pay a lower net amount is to change the terms. You will be able to reduce the amount you pay by extending the time you take to pay the loan off.

Note: student loan consolidations can renew your deferment choices if you have already exhausted the deferment options on your existing federal student loans. A student loan consolidation can significantly reduce your monthly payment burden. Consolidation allows you to stretch your repayment period from the standard 10 years to up to 30 years, depending on the total education debt. Student loan consolidation programs allow for a borrower’s loans to be paid off and a new consolidated loan created. These programs simply loan repayment by combining several types of Federal education loans into one new loan.

Interest rates for variable student loans are reset on July 1. In the past two years, rates have risen from historic lows, but this year the rates will remain the same. Rates will rise from 3.37 percent to 5.26 percent for student borrowers already making payments.

If you are thinking of defaulting on your student loan, be very careful, because there are big penalties for non-payment on a student loan, especially a federally guaranteed one.

If you wish to pay down your loan quicker, there are ways to avoid pre-payment penalties. If you are getting a first time educational loan, there are places that can help improve your odds of getting accepted.

A consolidation loan is not the best option for everybody, but in many cases, it can help lower your overall expenses, and give you a bit extra money each month, to help with the things that are important to you now.



consolidation loans