Federal Student Loan Consolidations

In the United States both the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and the Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDLP) include consolidation loans that allow students to consolidate Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, and Federal Perkins Loans into one single debt. This results in reduced monthly repayments and a longer term for the loan. Unlike the other loans, consolidation loans have a fixed interest rate for the life of the loan.

Student Loan News

Stafford interest rates still in limbo
On Tuesday, the Senate voted on the future of Stafford Loan interest rates. The rates for subsidized loans are currently at 3.4%, but without action from the government, will jump to 6.8% come July 1, 2012. A majority of 60 votes were needed to pass the bill which would lower these rates, unfortunately, the votes were split 52/45.

President Obama slow jams the student loan news
I'm pretty sure the title of this post just about says everything I need to say about the following video. Obama + Student loans + music + Jimmy Fallon = Magic.

Obama urges Congress to lower student loan interest rates
In 2007, congress passed a bill, lowering these interest rates for the next few years. Unfortunately, this bill will expire after June 31, and rates will go from 3.4% to 6.8% once again. Congress is now looking for ways to keep this interest rate hike from happening, though nothing solid has happened as of yet.

Financial Literacy Series: Know your student loans
April is financial literacy month and this blog kicks off our financial literacy blog series! In keeping with this spirit, I wanted to break down some common student loan terms so that students and parents can be better informed about the student loan choices they make.

It’s almost graduation – Do you know where your student loans are?
With graduation right around the corner for many-a-senior, the thoughts that occupy the minds of future grads probably revolve more around finals and parties than around repaying their loans. While graduation is absolutely a time for celebrating accomplishments, it also means that loan repayment is looming. Start planning now so that when the time comes, you're ready and not scrambling to locate your loan paperwork. Here are five ways you can prepare for repayment right now:

Loan news provided by Student Loan Network