USA Funds Update

USA Funds Offers Group Loan Counseling Webcasts
Beginning July 1, 2008, guarantors no longer will be permitted to conduct in-person group loan counseling on behalf of schools. USA Funds^® will help financial aid professionals prepare for the transition by offering webcasts titled “Loan Counseling — What Is Required?” Read more.

Learning Communities Initiative Promotes Educational Achievement
Patty Gamez, a freshman at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., benefited from the USA Funds-supported Learning Communities initiative when she attended high school in Tucson. As a result of the program, she qualified for a scholarship for college and also received support to complete her high school studies and pursue higher education. Learn more.

Reminder: USA Funds Hosts Two March Education Lender Forums
USA Funds is hosting two upcoming Education Lender Forums. The March 11 event will be in Kansas City, Mo., and the March 12 forum will be in San Antonio, Texas. The half-day events will help keep USA Funds’ lender-customers abreast of the latest ways to navigate the ever-changing education finance marketplace. Learn more and register.

Debt-Management Perspectives

USA Funds Offers Updated List of Errors to Avoid in Cohort Default Rate Appeals
The Cohort Default Rate Appeals section of USA Funds’ Web site includes an updated list of key errors to avoid when preparing cohort default rate appeals. The new list includes updated reference information and additional tips. The list is one of a variety of cohort default rate appeal tools and reference materials available in that section of the USA Funds Web site.

Tech Talk

USA Funds Supports PESC Board and Conference
Brian Allison, USA Funds vice president of technology and industry initiatives, recently was appointed as the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs representative to the board of the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Committee. As a member of the PESC board, Allison will work with other board members to continually develop data exchange standards for the higher education community. USA Funds also is supporting the mission of PESC as a sponsor of the committee’s upcoming Conference on Technology & Standards.

Operations Bulletin

FSA Handbook Revisions Address Overawards, Overpayments and Withdrawal Calculations
The U.S. Department of Education announced recent changes to the 2008-2009 Federal Student Aid Handbook. The updates affect language regarding overawards, overpayments and withdrawal calculations.