consolidate loan refinance student

Reducing loan payments through refinancing

The main goal of refinancing is usually to reduce your monthly student loan payments. There are several ways to do this, and most banks have student loan consolidation programs.

When refinancing your student loans there are several things to consider. First, you have both federal student loans and private loans, you will want to refinance them separately. Because of the way federal loans are structured, you can get a much lower interest rate on them than you can on private loans. Private student loans are basically personal loans made with the assumption that your income will increase with more education. If you mix the two together when you refinance, you will end up paying a higher interest rate on the combined principal than you would if you financed the two loans separately.

Second, student loan rates vary by lender and by your credit history. So, before your refinance make sure your credit history is in good shape. Review a credit report, and take action to fix problems. Then, compare rates from different lenders. Rates on for refinancing federal student loans change once a year (usually around July 1). Currently the rates are very low, but it's difficult to know how they will change as the economy changes.