When your
student loans get the best of you and you’re wondering how you’re ever going to
get out from under all that debt, take a look at loan consolidation. It may be
the answer to a number of your problems.
Turn to Sallie
Mae loan consolidation for a way to pay off your federal student loans, improve
your finances, and put a little extra money in your pocket every month. A
Sallie Mae loan consolidation replaces your existing multiple student loans
with one loan, usually with a dramatically lower interest rate – as low as
4.75%. The difference a few percentage points can make in monthly payment
amounts can mean the difference between scraping to pay bills and actually
having a little extra pocket money.
It is not uncommon
for a borrower to get a fixed interest rate that is up to 0.6% lower than their
current rates. According to federal regulations, calculating the interest rate
on a consolidated loan disbursed on or after July
1, 1994
involves the weighted average of the interest rates of the old school loans you
are consolidating under the new one, rounded up to the nearest one-eight of one
percent. Fixed interest rates on a consolidated loan cannot exceed 8.25
percent.
Every July
1, the interest rates on federal student loans are subject to change according
to the annual fluctuations of short-term federal securities, and with them your
monthly payment. One of the benefits of a Sallie Mae loan consolidation is that
the interest rate is locked in for the length of the loan. While interest rates
may be lower some years, when you are locked into an interest rate at least
your payments will be predicable and will not rise in the years when the
interest rates do.
A Sallie
Mae loan consolidation also offers the opportunity to increase the length of
the loan. The longer you have to pay it off, the smaller the monthly payments
will be. Remember though, lengthening the life of your loan may mean paying out
a larger total amount over time.
Applying
on-line for a Sallie Mae loan consolidation is free, there are no fees, and there
are no credit checks. A few minutes of your time can get you smaller monthly
payments and better credit scores; when your Sallie Mae loan pays off your old
student loans, your credit report reflects those paid off debts.
Things
happen in life and in a crisis sometimes, those student loan payments don’t get
made on time, or at all. If you have used up your deferment and forbearance
options on current loans, consolidating your debt under one Sallie Mae loan may
mean a fresh start and a clean slate. If you are facing a situation where
defaulting on one or more of your current loans is a very real possibility,
acting now to take advantage of a Sallie Mae loan consolidation may save you a
lot of problems and help you out of an overwhelming situation.
If you
decide that a Sallie Mae loan consolidation is what you want, there are four
options for repayment plans, the Standard Repayment Plan, the Extended
Repayment Plan, the Graduated Repayment Plan, and the Income Contingent
Repayment Plan.
The
Standard Repayment Plan offers fixed monthly payments, but the life of the loan
is limited to 10 years. The Extended Repayment Plan also offers fixed monthly
payments, but spreads them over 12 to 30 years, depending on the total amount
borrowed, which lowers the amount of the monthly payments. The Graduated
Repayment Plan also spreads payments over 12 to 30 years, but the monthly
payments increase every two years.
The Income
Contingent sets a payment plan that is calculated on your annual gross income,
family size, and total consolidated loan debt, figured into a period of 25
years to pay it off.
A Sallie Mae loan consolidation may be the best option for
you, but be sure to explore your options thoroughly to make sure you get the
best loan for your situation.
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