Tag Archives: loan consolidation
Federal Student Loan Refinancing
Federal Student Loan Consolidation is a financing facility that allows a borrower to merge his several federal student loans into a single new loan, and thereby bring them under one repayment plan. Federal student loans are generally issued or guaranteed by the United States government and comprise loans from the US Department of Education as well as the Department of Health and Human Services. These do not require any collateral security, and in contrast to private student loans, have low rates of interest. The Stafford loan is one of the most popular federal student loans.
When a borrower consolidates federal student loans, the original federal student loans are paid off by a loan consolidation company or by the Department of Education. Then, a new loan is created with one monthly payment. One of the prime advantages of federal student loan consolidation is that it lowers ones monthly payment by up to 60%. Low fixed interest rates, reduced monthly payments, and retention of subsidy benefits are other merits. Federal student loan consolidation offers several flexible repayment options and varied deferment options to choose from. Depending upon the amount of the debt amount, the repayment period extends from the standard 10 years to 30 years.
However, certain conditions are to be met for availing federal student loan consolidation. Only loans with an outstanding amount of $7,500 can be consolidated under this scheme. Private student loans are not eligible for federal student loan consolidation. Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized), Health Professions Student Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized), Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL), Nursing Student Loans (NSL), Federally Insured Student Loans (FISL), Auxiliary Loans to Assist Students (ALAS), Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS), National Direct Student Loans (NDSL), Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL), Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), and Loans for Disadvantaged Students are eligible for consolidation.
Loan Consolidation: An Effective Way To Manage Debt
Loan consolidation services were introduced in the United States to help people burdened by debts: credit cards, home loans, car loans, departmental bills, utility bills, medical loans, student loans and other such outstanding liabilities. Keeping a track of many different monthly payments is not an easy job. Statistics reveal that an average American spends more time focusing on what payment to make, rather than planning how he can manage his finances better. Credit consolidation service can help here.
Benefits Of Using A Loan Consolidation Service
A consolidation debt program has the following benefits.
*Consolidation of all the miscellaneous debts and loans into one single aggregate payment per month.
*Reduces the possibility of a missed installment, and allows the borrower to focus on improving the state of his finances.
*Loan consolidation firms act as agents on behalf of the borrower. They re-negotiate the payment plans with the lenders and credit card companies, and sometimes even work out lower interest rates or smaller monthly payments for the clients.
*Such a credit consolidation service not only provides one debt relief, but also gives professional guidance to the borrowers on how to manage their funds more effectively in future.
*It puts an end to dozens of harassing and stressful collection calls from various different lenders, since there is only one lender left to deal with.
*People with bad credit ratings also get one more benefit by consolidating their loans. The fact that they have taken a step forward in setting their financial affairs in order, shows them in positive light before the credit rating agencies, and helps them earn several points in favor while ascertaining their new credit scores.
Who All Can Benefit From Such A Program?
Anybody who has several outstanding loans on his balance sheet can use a loan consolidation program. It doesn’t matter whether those are outstanding credit card bills, medical loans, a home loan or car loan. Even students can use the advantages of a student loan consolidation program, if they have more than one student loan. Further, if a person has any departmental store card or utility dues, they can be clubbed in such an aggregate loan. A debtor whose account has been handed over to any collection agency can also use the services of such a program.
There are several firms that provide debt consolidation services online. A person can easily use their free online debt calculator to compare rates and net savings. However, people should first ensure that such sites use proper data encryption features before they enter any financial information, to avoid becoming a victim of phishing. Secondly, any genuine loan consolidation program will work in tandem with a customized financial management program, so a debtor can enjoy debt relief for a longer time.