Student loans

Basic Student Loan links....

Department of Education www.ed.gov Basic Financial Aid Information http://www.finaid.org/loans/

NSLDS Who has my loans?? http://www.nslds.ed.gov/

National Student Clearinghouse http://www.nslc.org/students/default.htm

Contact Information for FFELP (Federal Family Education Loan Program) Guarantors http://www.finaid.org/loans/guaranteeagencies.phtml

Default Links Common Disputes Involving Defaulted Student Loans http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/disputes.html

Student Loan Rehabilitation In a nutshell...you can resolve your default by rehabbing your student loan. This requires 9 on time monthly payments for Stafford/GSL loans and 12 on time payments for Perkins/NDSL loans. Standard payments to qualify for rehab is a 1% payment. If you cannot afford this payment, the Higher Education Act permits you to ask for a "reasonable and affordable payment". Generally you must supply whatever supporting documentation they ask for...pay stubs, financial statement. Defaulted Direct Loans will generally waive the collection costs upon completion of the rehab. FFELP lenders will not. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/rehabilitation.html

Administrative Wage Government Rules If you receive a notice of AWG, you MUST return the paperwork within 30 days of the date on the letter. Call the CA to set up a payment plan to avoid AWG, but still return the paperwork. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/awg.html

Department of Education collection agencies http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/collection.agencies.html

Direct Loans including where to get interest statements. www.dlservicer.ed.gov/

Direct Loan Consolidations Direct Loans is the only program that offers "Income Contingent Repayment Plans". FFELP consolidating lenders only have to offer "income sensitive"...these are not the same. This program will also write off any balance remaining after you have been in repayment for 25 years. http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/

Student loan Ombudsman The student loan Ombudsman is available to assist you if the CA or guarantor is not following the rules set forth in the HEA. You should not be contacting just because you don't want to deal with the CA assigned to the account or the payment is not what you want to pay vs what you can afford to pay. They will not intervene in FRCA issues nor can they assist with private loan matters. http://www.fsahelp.ed.gov/about/about.html

Student Loan Cancelations http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/loan.cancellation.discharge.html

Private Loan Consolidations http://www.finaid.org/loans/privateconsolidation.phtml

HEA Link affecting FRCA http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea98/HR6.pdf Notwithstanding paragraphs (4) and (6) (FOOTNOTE 1) of subsection (a) of section 605 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(4), (a)(6)), a consumer reporting agency may make a report containing information received from the Secretary or a guaranty agency, eligible lender, or subsequent hold regarding the status of a borrower's defaulted account on a loan guaranteed under this part until - (1) 7 years from the date on which the Secretary or the agency paid a claim to the holder on the guaranty; (2) 7 years from the date the Secretary, guaranty agency,eligible lender, or subsequent holder first reported the account to the consumer reporting agency; or (3) in the case of a borrower who reenters repayment after defaulting on a loan and subsequently goes into default on such loan, 7 years from the date the loan entered default such subsequent time.