Student Loan Consolidation - A Great Boost For Your Bank Balance!

Using student loan consolidation is a useful financial instrument to help you keep down your payments by lengthening your repayment term and is usually backed by the federal government. generating this way of paying less is pretty much free, though you will pay over the years through the interest you pay.

Putting Your Student Loan Payments Together

Student loan consolidation is the act of putting the various loans you took out over your college time, into a new loan, specially created for that purpose.

It is a simple and relatively cheap way to cut your loan payments by pulling them together through one specialized lender.

Consolidate Your Student Loan When The Going Gets Tough

By exploring ways to save thousands of $$$'s on your variety of monthly payments, you will become much happier with your finances. It's a great tool to use, especially if you get yourself organized right after college ends - it's even better if you are starting to financially struggle with your student debt.

So if you need help because you are starting to fall behind with your payments, you really must consider a consolidated student loan. In fact everyone wins when you do this!

Where To Find Help To Consolidate Your Loan

First stop to find a good deal is to talk with your former classmates. It's more than likely that one of them has jumped the gun and already got a good deal, so learn from them.

Talking to your former college or employer may find special deals that will help you too - you will be amazed at the contacts they have built up over the years and that can be very much in your interests to explore.

Finally, checkout online - there are loads of banks and other finance organizations just dying to help you out with something tailored to meet your personal needs.

Federal Student Loan Consolidation - Security Government Backed

For a fixed-rate refinancing program that pulls together all of your current federal student you need a Federal student loan consolidation package. A Federal student loan consolidation arrangement is way more advantageous for the borrower.

Whilst these deals can sometimes be regarded as refinancing, actually all that happens is that the loan rates are simply fixed, for the benefit of all concerned.

Student loan consolidation is a strong financial package backed by government to help you with lower payments. It does this by extending the loan period, so that you pay less now and for longer, which in many cases is a much less painful experience.

Student Loan Consolidation Information - How Credit History Affects Student Loans

When researching your student loan consolidation information options you want to look into how credit history affects student loans.

A range of general student loan products are not credit-based, Stafford and Perkins are based solely on need and do not even perform credit checks, but not all students will qualify and these services will in many instances cover a reduce amount of less than 100% of the amount needed, especially given the high cost of education today, most students and his or her families may therefore need to supplement these with credit-based student loans, when they do being able to show a good credit report to evaluators will result in the best access to funds, with the better interest rates, as with any credit-based loans a prior history of bad credit does not make acquiring funds impossible, nevertheless it is often much harder and in many instances carries a higher interest rate, avoiding a bad credit history will hence be the difference between getting a loan or if you do obtain one, repaying much more than you would have with a good credit rating.

However what is good or bad credit?

The first issue any loan officer will examine is the FICO score, the FICO is a total score calculated by the main credit agencies based on a secret proprietary formula, though the exact equation is not public, multiple criteria are well known and even obvious.

FICO scores are calculated on outstanding debt and defaults, the amount of late re-payments and how late and how late they are 30 days, 60 days, 90 days or longer along with the amount of credit available and number of recent credit inquiries and other factors, all these are weighed up and thus for example, a default counts very heavily as do any late payments with higher late days counting more, the number of recent credit inquiries counts much less.

A range of students will not have a FICO amount at all, not having credit cards or other forms of loans that would generate the required information on which the amount is based, nevertheless most students are judged by their parents credit history in relation to granting loans, whilst student credit history is important it is the parents wages and credit history that typically counts for more in the final decision.

Both parties want to have good credit, first and foremost that requires a FICO of above 650, and the higher the better having a total score less than that will not make getting a loan impossible, nonetheless it might trigger the need to supply further information that may influence the decision and submitting that incidental data to the people who can be influenced is not always easy.

In addition to the FICO number and linked to it, there are a number of other components that prospective borrowers should keep in mind.

Paying when required is imperative, evidence of a history of late payments and building up late re-payment charges is evidence of a poor credit risk in the minds of the lenders, staying within your available credit limits is very important as well, avoiding over limit and other costs shows a disposition to defer current gratification and take responsibility, creditors are judging not just numbers but also character as well in any decision.

Limiting the number and maximum balance amounts on credit cards will additionally assist, excessive credit inquiries suggest to lenders that someone is having difficulty meeting existing debt loads, that is a signal that re-payment of further loans may be harder, that increases the lenders default rates on loans that are not re-paid, financial institutions will try very hard to keep that default rate as low as possible, to do that they sometimes deny credit to borderline applications.

Meet all of your credit obligations and keeping all borrowing to a modest level for a long period of time makes you look like a very good risk to loan officers, which means funding any student loan will be that much easier, keep this in mind when considering any student loan consolidation information.

Federal Student Loan Consolidation - Get Your Facts Straight Now!

If that is what it takes to improve your life, you should be proud you did it. Fortunately for all of us stuck with student loan debt there are federal student loan consolidation programs that can cut your student loan payments in half.

These programs will combine multiple loans into one loan which not only will save you money but it cuts out the hassle of multiple payment to multiple lenders.

Consolidation Backed By Federal Government

Federal student loan consolidation is backed by the federal government and allows you to extend your repayment terms.

If you have Stafford loans, you have a variable interest rate that adjusts annually. When you opt to consolidate, you get the choice to lock in at a low rate and there are many offers out there that will charge you no fees.

They want your business and you should shop around. There are many competing financial institutions that are competing for your money and that puts you in the drivers seat. You want to insist on the best possible deal on the market.

Consolidation Loans Federal Providers

Sallie Mae is a government institution that offers a 'Best Rate Promise.' They guarantee you that they will give you the 'lowest official student loan rates available to you' when you consolidate. If you have just graduated and your loans carry a variable rate you want to consolidate before your six month grace period ends.

If you consolidate your loans before the end of the six month grace period ends, many of you can lock in 6.625% or 6.75% interest rates.

If you put it off until after the grace period your rate will be more like 7.125% to 7.25%.These rates vary, so check them out carefully before you buy.

Consolidated Federal Loan Downsides

Federal student loan consolidation does have a downside. When you consolidate your loans, it lowers your payment by extending the amount of time you have to pay off the loan. With federal student loan consolidation you get to choose if you want a standard repayment in which your monthly payment for the life of the loan is fixed.

If you opt for graduated repayment your payments start low and increase at intervals specified by the lender.

There is also an income sensitive repayment in which your payment is determined by your income. This type of consolidation will increase as your income increases.

Watch Out For Minimum Payment Schedules

No matter what type of loan you choose the federal rules governing student loans set a minimum payment of fifty dollars. These rules are relaxed for the income sensitive repayment option. The most popular choice is the standard repayment. The payment always stays the same.

If you choose any loan beside the standard repayment, it does not mean you are locked in. You do have the option of changing your mind and applying for one of the other types of loans. The option may still be open but it depends on the terms of your loan.

You can always contact your lender for a full review of your options.