Awards recognize, disseminate best practices in debt management

USA Funds invites entries for Excellence in Debt Management Awards

INDIANAPOLIS — USA Funds^®, the nation’s leading education-loan guarantor, announces that it is accepting entries from postsecondary institutions for its annual Excellence in Debt Management Awards. The awards recognize creative efforts by colleges, universities and career schools to help college students minimize their education debt and equip students with the information and resources they need to successfully repay their loans and curb student-loan defaults.

Details of the award program and an online entry form are available from www.usafunds.org/debtmanagementexcellence.

Entries must be submitted by May 25, 2007.

“As a student-loan guarantor with a keen interest in successful student-loan repayment, we are pleased to support this program to promote campus debt-management activities,” said Denise B. Feser, USA Funds senior vice president, customer relations. “Many schools make significant efforts to educate their students about prudent borrowing and to support their graduates in the repayment of their loans. The awards highlight these efforts and also aim to encourage other postsecondary institutions to adopt similar best practices in debt management.”

Based on the entries received by the deadline, USA Funds will award to three postsecondary institutions need-based scholarship funds for their students in the following amounts:

• Best Debt-Management Program —  $5,000 scholarship.
• First Runner-Up —  $3,000 scholarship.
• Second Runner-Up —  $2,000 scholarship.

The award program is open to all postsecondary institutions in the United States, including those that participate in the Federal Family Education Loan Program — regardless of their primary student-loan guarantor — and those that participate in the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program.