Federal Updates

ED Issues Clarification on TPD Help Line
ED recently informed the student loan industry of a clarification in the toll-free numbers available to borrowers with questions regarding the total and permanent disability (TPD) discharge.

TG Updates

2002 NASFAA Conference Offered Wide Array of Choices
Hundreds of NASFAA 2002 Conference attendees have left New Orleans and are now walking around with crawfish T-shirts after coming by the TG booth with knowledge of the secret ingredient (see Shoptalk Online, Edition 162, for details of what this was all about).

Edufacts™—July 2002
The Department of Education has established August 1 as National Default Prevention Day. In recognition of the event and to help the financial aid community share information about default, TG has prepared two special editions of Edufacts™ that relate to student loan default prevention.

A Day in the Life...The Series Continues
This Shoptalk Online series has examined each of the roles that TG plays in the different stages of a loan, from awareness to delinquency. The series continues this month with a look at the role TG Claims plays in the life of a loan if borrowers should fail to make satisfactory repayment.

Legislative Update

The July 22 Legislative Report includes an article about the Senate Appropriations Committee’s approval of the FY 2003 Health, Labor, and Education spending bill. In addition, the report includes information about a recent presentation by Steve Murdock, the Director of the Texas State Data Center, about issues facing the state as a result of its shifting demographics.

A Day in the Life

• ...of TG's Default Prevention, Part II
• ...of TG's Default Prevention, Part I
• ...of TG's Customer Assistance
• ...of TG's Loan Guarantee Operations
• ...of TG's Educational Alliances

This, That, and the Other...

Today the cornerstone of the federal student financial aid programs is, of course, the Federal Pell Grant. Since its creation, the Pell Grant has helped untold numbers of students pay for the education that can make such a difference in their quality of life.

But the word Pell hasn't always been a part of common student financial aid terminology. When the 1972 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act created the precursor to the Pell Grant, it was known as the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG). The BEOG was renamed the Pell Grant in 1980 in honor of the prime sponsor of the program, Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI), who served in the United States Senate from 1961 to 1997.

Take a look at Adventures In Education, TG's Public Awareness website.