The lenders are adopting a code of conduct that bans a variety of marketing practices, such as using logos or seals that look like federal emblems, providing incentives to induce students to borrow from the lender (e.g., gift cards, iPods, prizes and sweepstakes), providing false rebate checks, paying students referral fees to encourage friends to borrow,
advertising interest rates and
discounts that few borrowers will realize (including using such rates and
loan terms in repayment examples and examples illustrating
loan costs), misrepresenting the advantages of private
loans over federal
loans.
Citibank
advertises mortgage rates that depend on the purchase of
discount points, making its online estimates less reliable to most borrowers than a formal estimate obtained from a mortgage
loan officer.