Saturday, November 28, 2009

Student Loans:Student Loan Debt Consolidation

To get started you, must determine the loan amount and type you owe. Next, you should contact the lenders or college financial agents and request a loan drop. If you are in debt over your head, then this is the best solution for consolidating your debts. If you fail to seek debt consolidation solutions, then you are at risk of lawsuits, tax refund losses, and possibly of risking wage garnishes. Again, whether or not you can ask for a cancellation will be dependent on the type of loan you took out, when it was issued, and for how much it was issued.

While it is not likely, some schools issue loans under fraudulent pretense. If this is true, then you can demand a cancellation of the loan.

Also, if you suffered from an accident or became ill and the injuries or sickness have disabled you for life, then you can ask for a cancellation on the loan. Military personnel and particular organization members qualify for a cancellation in student loans also. If you are able to get the loan dropped, imagine the money you will have to restore your credit and eliminate other debts.

Finally, if you have paid your monthly installments with good faith until times got hard, you may qualify for a postponement in payments. This is called a deferment request. The student lenders may present you with the "forbearance" option if you ask for a deferment. The "forbearance" means that the lenders will reduce your student payments temporary until you are back on track.

As a student, you have numerous ways to manage your debts if you are currently in over your head. Do not assume that there is no solution; instead, spend your time researching instead of worrying.


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Sunday, November 15, 2009

How To Use Federal Student Loans

The Federal plan that provides student loans is called the Direct Loan program. This is a low interest loan for students and parents to help pay for education beyond high school.

These student loans are issued by the U.S. Department of Education directly, and there are no banks involved with these loans. Because you are borrowing directly from the federal government you will be able to administer everything to do with your loans using the Direct Loan Servicing Center. This makes it easier especially if you have multiple loans from different schools.

There are a number of types of student loans that fall under the Direct Loan Program and there are some important differences that you should be aware of about how they charge interest.

The subsidized loan is for students that have a financial need determined by federal regulations. With this loan there are no interest charges while the student is in school at least half time. There is also no interest charge during the six month grace period following the completion or termination of classes, nor any deferment periods.

The unsubsidized student loan is not based on financial need, and there will be interest charged as soon as the money is distributed. This means that even though you are not obligated to pay on the loan while in school, you will be charged interest during this period. You will also be charged interest during the six month grace period and any deferment periods.

The Plus loan is an unsubsidized loan for the parent of the student to help cover any educational costs not covered by any other financial assistance. Interest is charged during all periods for this type of loan.

There is also a Consolidation loan that combines any eligible federal student loans into one Direct Consolidation Loan. This has the advantages to lower your monthly payments by spreading you loan out over a longer term. While you will lower your monthly payment, you will pay more interest because of the longer term.

You can apply for any of the Direct Loans by filling out the Federal Student Aid application online. The information in the application is transmitted to the school you list in the applications and is used to determine all financial aid that might be available to the student.

There are no required payments for student loans that are due until the student falls below a half time status and there is also a six month grace period after graduation or termination in most cases.


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