Student Lending Analytics Blog

Federal Student Loans Up 18% After First 3Q of 2009-10; GradPLUS Sees Fastest Growth

Federal Student Aid has updated their data center with the latest figures on federal loan and grant volumes. SLA analyzes disbursement figures for these loan programs one quarter after their initial release since significant adjustments are often made to the most recently released figures. 

Observations:

• Overall, federal loans (Stafford, Parent PLUS and Grad PLUS) grew 18% to $77.8 billion through the first three quarters of 2009-10. 
• GradPLUS loans grew 34% to $4.4 billion over this period, while Parent PLUS loans grew 16% to $8.0 billion.  
• Stafford loans, the most prevalent federal loan program with 84% of disbursements, saw 16% and 18% increases in subsidized and unsubsidized loan programs respectively for the first three quarters.
• Applying this 18% growth figure to the 2008-09 disbursements of $85.2 billion (from FSA Data Center site) yields incremental volume of $15.3 billion for the 2009-10 academic year. 

What Ails Sallie Mae?

The stock fell over 10% today to $10.34 after announcing their earnings after the close yesterday and their conference call (thanks to Seeking Alpha) this morning.  Here is an abbreviated look at the issues that investors seem focused on:

Rates They Are A Changing...

With peak lending season upon us, six lenders have recently changed the margins on their private student loans with the overall trend being down (four of the six reduced margins).  Here is a table (sorted alphabetically) showing both the current rates and the previous rates:

		Current				Previous
			Max.				Max.
Lender name	Low	High	Fees		Low	High	Fees
Chase	4.14%	9.79%	0%		3.76%	8.76%	0%
Citibank	3.63%	11.38%	3%		4.13%	11.88%	3%
Citizens	3.35%	11.60%	0%		3.35%	13.35%	0%
Sallie Mae	2.88%	11.25%	0%		2.88%	10.25%	0%
SunTrust	4.13%	11.63%	0%		4.13%	11.88%	0%
Wells Fargo	3.50%	9.99%	0%		4.25%	11.24%	0%

Sallie Mae To Move HQ To Delaware; FFELP Comes To An End

From Business Wire: 

SLM Corporation (NYSE: SLM - News), commonly known as Sallie Mae, today announced that it will relocate its corporate headquarters to near Newark, Del., by March 31, 2011. The relocation to Delaware is consistent with other strategic initiatives the company is taking to align its cost structure with its continuing businesses following the passage of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act.

“This decision reflects our need to adapt to the massive changes in our business. We have enjoyed nearly 40 years in the D.C. area; however, the objective is to combine the senior management team in a single location. Delaware officials helped make these changes as efficient as possible,” said Albert L. Lord, CEO."