Once the application has been processed, the loan servicer that was selected will contact the applicant with instructions for how and when to start making
payments on the consolidation loan.
If you plan accordingly and keep your payment
high on the consolidation loan then it can likely get you out of debt quicker than when the loans were separate.
You can pay more than the minimum required each
month on your consolidation loan, and thus shorten your overall loan term and decrease the total amount of interest you pay.
The discounts for consolidation loans are not as good as the discounts for unconsolidated loans, partly because the lender doesn't earn as much
profit on consolidation loans.
(Note that there is a financial benefit to consolidating an 8.5 % fixed rate PLUS loan, due to the lower 8.25 % interest rate
cap on consolidation loans.)
Should you require a cosigner, Cedar Education Private Student Loan Consolidation may allow a cosigner
release on your consolidation loan if you have made 36 consecutive payments of principal and interest.
Remember, too, to be cost - effective the interest rate
on the consolidation loan needs to be less than the interest rate you were paying before on the multiple loans, or the payoff time needs to be stretched out to lower monthly payments.
If you're having trouble qualifying for private refinancing, then you could consider asking a trusted friend or relative to
cosign on your consolidation loan, provided that they have good credit.
Another disadvantage is that although the interest rate
on a consolidation loan usually is less than other types of credit, the extended loan period results in more finance charges over the life of the loan.
(Note that a
default on a consolidation loan is treated as though it were a default on the loans that were consolidated for the purpose of calculating the cohort default rate.
Or perhaps you should close your credit card account altogether, which might prevent you from missing
payments on your consolidation loan that might cause your home to go into foreclosure.
The whole point is to get a lower interest rate on your student debt which could save you money and help with repayment; however, only the most qualified applicants can get the best
rates on a consolidation loan.
A bigger mistake is missing a payment
on your consolidation loan.
Note that when you reconsolidate a consolidation loan, it does not relock the rates
on the consolidation loan.
Repayment
on a consolidation loan will begin within 60 days of disbursement of the loan, unless the borrower qualifies for a deferment or forbearance.
The interest rate
on a consolidation loan is the weighted average of the interest rates on the loans being consolidated, rounded up to the nearest 1/8 of a percent.
Aside from a slight increase in the interest rate
on the consolidation loan, there is no cost to consolidate your loans.
If you have good credit and you're paying an above - average interest rate, you might be able to get a lower interest rate
on a consolidation loan.
Even though the new interest rate
on a consolidation loan is almost the same as the interest rates on the old loans you can still lower the cost of the loan by shopping around for a better discount on the loan interest rates and better rebates on the fees.
You can always pay more than your scheduled payment
on consolidation loans, and thus pay off your loan early without risk of ever being assessed a fee.
A bigger mistake is missing a payment
on your consolidation loan.
The time for the maturity, or the last payment
on your consolidation loan, is usually a lot longer than any of your smaller payments.
Once the interest rate
on a consolidation loan is fixed, it does not change.
Lender margins are tighter
on consolidation loans, due to fees paid to the US Department of Education, so their annual profit on a consolidation loan is lower.
Three years down the road Bruce still owes $ 20,000
on the consolidation loan, and he's again maxed out his three credit card accounts by borrowing another $ 25,000.
Monthly payments and interest
on consolidation loans can be significantly less than the total of the higher rate cards.
After all, you don't want to be paying interest
on your consolidation loan and your other debts at the same time.
When the monthly payment and interest rate
on the consolidation loan are lower than the what you were paying every month and the payoff for eliminating debt comes within five years.