Student Lending Analytics Blog

Webinar on Paying For College Tuesday at 7PM EDT

Here's the link to get the live stream at unigo.com/wsj

Here are the details:

If you're wondering whether you'll be able to afford a college education, you're not alone. Even before the recession, college tuition costs had been on the rise for years. Now, in tougher economic circumstances, families are finding it harder than ever to pay for college.

That's why WSJ On Campus invites you to join us on Tuesday, April 6th at 7 p.m. EDT for an exclusive, live and interactive webcast covering everything you need to know about paying for college. Topics may include:

Third-Party Websites As A Resource For Private Student Loans

OK, I have to admit that this headline certainly isn't all that catchy, which makes it all the more astounding that over 350 folks registered for the SLA webinar held today with that title.  I guess the results from the SLA Flash Survey from last December were spot on in noting that over 50% of 4-year private institutions were planning on providing a link to a third-party website to help students/families find a private student loan.  For those who missed this webinar, I am planning to schedule a replay later in April so stay tuned for details. 

Here are the materials that were presented today:  Download Third_Party_Web_Sites

SLA Webinar (Thursday, March 4th): What's New In Private Student Loan Land?

Join me for this informative webinar to be held on Thursday, March 4th at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.  This 90-minute webinar will focus on the current state of the private (non-federal) student loan market as well as provide an outlook for the future.  This webinar will be extremely helpful to financial aid professionals and others interested in learning more about this dynamic market. 

Register for this webinar, which has a $99 registration fee, here.

Among the questions to be answered:

Highlights of Sallie Mae Investor Meeting at Credit Suisse Conference

Here are some of the insights gleaned from their investor meeting yesterday (Credit Suisse Financial Services Forum): 

• See potential opportunity for four servicers awarded Direct Loan contract to service ACS's portfolio (ACS is prior DL servicer referred to below): 

"...potential to migrate loans that are serviced by prior loan servicer for Dept. of Ed. over to the 4 new entities."

• Regardless of legislative outcome (SAFRA or Community Proposal) expect acquisition opportunities of sub-scale servicing operations:

"Opportunity for acquisitions in this space [servicing].  There are only four entities that were awarded contracts by the Department of Education.  There are a number of servicers, as a result of legislation that will pass here, either Community or SAFRA, these entities will not have scale and efficiency to be able to service loans according to Dept. of Education standards and requirements.  Expect to be able to take advantage of that and grow market share there."

• Would seem to weaken the argument for providing a carve-out to non-profit servicers, since at least one player believes they won't be able to service loans to Dept. of Education requirements  (details of their carveout here)
• This consolidation has already started.  In early December 2009, Chase announced the sale of their FFEL servicing business to ACS. 

This Week In Student Lending: Upcoming Events

Wednesday, February 10th:
10am Eastern:  House Education and Labor Committee hearing on "Building a Stronger Economy:  Spurring Reform and Innovation in American Education" with Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education appearing. 

On Wednesday, February 10, at 10:00 am eastern, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will appear before the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss how strong and innovative education reforms can help rebuild the U.S. economy and restore our competitiveness.  For details, visit this site.

3,000 Miles And Three Presentations Later...A Surprise!

In case you were wondering about the absence of the SLA Blog at the end of last week, there was a flurry of activity on the conference front:

Upcoming SLA Webinar: Creating Your 2010-11 Private Education Loan Lender List

Yes, it is that time already!

Please join Tim Ranzetta of Student Lending Analytics for an informative webinar focused on "Creating Your 2010-11 Private Education Loan Lender List" on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.   Click here to sign up for this event which has a $99 registration fee.

The webinar will provide answers to such questions as:

• Which for-profit, non-profit and state agency lenders are still providing private loans to college students?
• What does the first quarter of the 2009-10 academic year tell us about the outlook for private student loans for the remainder of this year and next?
• What are the five questions that you absolutely need to ask in the RFIs that you send to lenders this year?
• What are several methods that you can use to determine what interest rates lenders are charging your students?
• What are the additional administrative requirements that the new regulations require schools to undertake?

This session will answer these questions and more. Participants will receive numerous helpful hints and checklists to ensure a smooth lender selection process. The session will be one hour and thirty minutes in duration and all participants will be able to download materials prior to the presentation.

 

Tuesday Webinar on "The Future of Student Loans: A Policy Dialogue"

For all you policy wonks out there, I came across this webinar announcement in an NSLP newsletter:

LEXINGTON INSTITUTE TO HOST NOVEMBER 10 WEBCAST ON FUTURE OF STUDENT LOANS
The Lexington Institute will host “The Future of Student Loans: A Policy Dialogue” on Tuesday, November 10 from 8:30 am to 10 am central time at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.The event is available free by webcast. Contact Lisanne Boling by phone 703.522.5828 or e-mail to RSVP.

Confirmed speakers to date include:

• Timothy A. Connell, President, Georgia Student Finance Commission
• Donald Murphy, CEO and Managing Associate, The Wesley Peachtree Group
• Eileen O’Leary, Executive Council, National Direct Loan Coalition, Stonehill College
• John F. Remondi, Vice Chairman and CFO, Sallie Mae
• Rich Williams, Higher Education Associate, U.S. PIRG

SLA's Webinar Central: Your Main Source For Webinars Of Interest To The Financial Aid Community

Given all the changes going on in industry, I thought it would be helpful to provide a central resource to post webinars of interest to the financial aid community.  Please note that inclusion on this list does not constitute endorsement of the webinars or any organizations by Student Lending Analytics nor does SLA charge for placement on this list (yes, another free service!).  I will plan on keeping this listing on the front page of the blog, so it will be readily accessible to readers. 

Since ASA contacted me with this idea, here are the upcoming webinars they have listed on their website.  As I add additional webinars, I will sort the webinars by date and subject area to make it easier for readers to navigate:

Don't Forget To Sign Up For SLA Webinar on Complying With Regulation Z and HEOA

On Tuesday, October 6th at 1 p.m., I will be presenting a webinar titled "Private Student Loans and Preferred Lender Lists: What You Need To Know NOW About Regulation Z and HEOA."  Register for this event here. 

Here are the some of the questions that will be answered during this 90 minute webinar:

• What constitutes a "preferred lender arrangement"?
• What new requirements are in place if a school has a "preferred lender arrangement"?
• What are the new disclosure requirements for institutional loan programs?
• What will schools be required to provide if they give any information to students about private education loans?
• What new disclosures will students have to see prior to applying for a private student loan?

The presentation will also include a brief discussion about the current state of the private loan market.  Get a head start on implementing and complying with these new regulations by tuning into this webinar next Tuesday.  Please note the registration fee for this event is $99.