Consolidation loans are no longer profitable for Sallie Mae, so it’s saying goodbye to them. SmartMoney points out that ultimately this shouldn’t matter for students taking out new loans, since the original point of consolidation—converting lots of variable rate loans into a nice predictable fixed rate loan—is no longer relevant (all federal student loans are now disbursed with fixed interest rates.) SmartMoney says if you still have variable rate loans you need/want to consolidate, check out the government’s consolidation offering—”You’re likely to pay the same consolidation rates you’d pay if you did so with Sallie Mae,” they write.

As for the 1.5% loan origination fee, students will no longer enjoy having that waived by Sallie Mae. The magazine says you should now start shopping around for lenders who are still willing to pay them (they suggest J.P. Morgan Chase).

“Sallie Mae Halts Student-Loan Consolidation” [SmartMoney]
(Photo: Getty)

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