Tag Archives: billion
Student Associations Lobby for Bill to Revamp Student Loans (Page 1 of 2)
Student governments and organizations at colleges and universities nationwide are pushing lawmakers to pass legislation that supporters say will make acquiring a higher education more accessible and affordable.
The legislative measure, known as the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), was passed by the House of Representatives on Sept. 17 in a vote of 253 to 171, largely along party lines. All but four Democrats voted for the bill, and only six Republicans also voted in favor. The bill is expected to be put to a vote on the Senate floor on Oct. 15.
The bill, if passed, would essentially mean an overhaul of the current college financial aid system, eliminating one of the two existing national programs that provides students and parents with federal college loans.
This landmark legislation would shut down the long-standing Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), which issues federally guaranteed student loans to borrowers via banks, state organizations, and other private lenders. The government currently pays these private FFELP lenders a subsidy for the federal parent and student loans these lenders issue.
Under the SAFRA bill, all federal student loans would be issued through the second national student loan program, the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, which issues federal college loans directly to borrowers through the U.S. Department of Education, with no third-party involvement from a bank or other FFELP lender and thus with no government subsidies being paid to a middleman.
SAFRA supporters, which include many college student organizations, say that ending government subsidies to third-party FFELP lenders to originate federal student loans will save taxpayers $87 billion over the next decade which means more funds available for federal college grants and other higher education initiatives.
“FFELP is expensive for the government,” Kathleen Templin, president of the Associated Students of Northern Arizona University, told the NAU online newspaper, JackCentral. “They give money to banks, which in turn gives money to students. But because banks charge interest rates, the government pays a lot of money for lenders to give money out” (“Student Aid Act Passes in U.S. House, Due for Senate,” JackCentral.com, Sept. 24, 2009).
In fact, SAFRA allocates $40 billion of the projected $87 billion in savings to expand the Federal Pell Grant program, which targets low-income students.
Students Applaud Expansion of Federal Pell Grants
Several student governments from across the country have joined forces with the United States Student Association (USSA), the main voice for students on Capitol Hill, to organize meetings with legislators to press the importance of financing higher education in building a better American work force.
“A lot of students are not able to go to school because of funding,” said Teresa Mabry, the chair for the Women of Color Caucus on the USSA board of directors. “If were not getting [our message] out there, its not going to work.”
Facts About the Benefits of SBA 504 Loans for American Small Businesses
The National Association of Development Companies (NADCO) is the trade association for the nation’s 270 Certified Development Companies (CDCs). CDCs are certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide financing to small businesses through what is called the SBA 504 loan program. Members are non-profit organizations that serve every state, as well as Puerto Rico and U. S. territories in the South Pacific.
Chris Crawford is the president of NADCO. The organization is based in McLean, Virginia.
NADCO is actively supporting the SBA 504 refinance program, a time-limited opportunity that is due to expire 9/27/12. This powerful program offers businesses the opportunity to refinance their small business loans and withdraw equity for working capital. The program offers lenders the opportunity to bring owner-occupied commercial real-estate portfolio back into regulatory compliance and reduce overall CRE portfolio concentrations.
FINANCING
The 504 industry is responsible for financing more than $45 billion to about 130,000 of America’s small businesses over the past 25 years. The total project amount funded has been over $112 billion in small business financing projects. With NADCO’s support, the 504 program’s loan authority is up from $400 million in 1991 to $7.5 billion in FY 2011.
REFINANCING
Many small business owners are not aware that if they have a commercial business loan (non-SBA loan) they can refinance that loan at very low rates using the 504. For many small businesses, this has meant the difference between success and failure. However, this program is scheduled to end on September 27, 2012.
Small businesses can SAVE money and time using the 504 refinance program. The 504 Refinance program allows small businesses to use excess equity to obtain working capital for eligible business expenses.
The 504 refinance loan program is designed for small businesses that have outstanding commercial real estate and/or commercial real estate loans. Businesses can refinance up to 90% of the appraised value of available collateral.
SBA estimates that as many as 8,000 businesses may participate in this 504 refinancing program during the current fiscal year, which will provide up to $7.5 billion in SBA-guaranteed financing leading to total project financing of almost $17 billion.
The 504 refinance loan program enables small businesses to:
Use excess equity to obtain working capital for eligible business expenses
Lock in long-term, fixed-rate, low-interest commercial financing
Help expand those businesses, create jobs and benefit consumers too
Consolidate existing debt
Finance eligible business expenses, saving working capital
Other benefits include:
consolidate existing debt (balloon and/or high interest rate loans)
lock in long-term, stable financing, reduce fluctuating expenses
finance eligible business expenses, save needed cash-flow
protect jobs and hire additional staff, supporting the local community
include closing costs in the transaction, eliminating cash-flow drain