Federal Updates

ED releases FY 2007 draft cohort default rates
FY 2007 draft electronic cohort default rate (eCDR) notification packages were transmitted via the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) to domestic Title IV-eligible schools that are enrolled in eCDR on February 9, 2009.

New loan purchase programs guidance
ED released Electronic Announcement (E-ANN) #47, which announces the first conduit under the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper (ABCP) Conduit Put Program, and the continuation of the 2007-08 Short-Term Purchase Program through February.

ED announces Neg Reg schedule
TG recently announced that ED had published a Federal Register notice stating that it would be conducting negotiated rulemaking (a.k.a. Neg Reg) beginning this month. Last week, ED released tentative meeting schedules for the five teams that will be formed for this round of Neg Reg.

TG Updates

TG to continue to subsidize federal default fee on behalf of students
TG announced that it will continue to pay the one percent federal default fee on behalf of its borrowers for federal Stafford and PLUS loans for the 2009-10 award year.

Well-received Enrollment Management Journal becomes quarterly publication
Because of its initial first-year success, TG has announced that its scholarly periodical, the Enrollment Management Journal: Student Access, Finance, and Success in Higher Education, has become a quarterly publication.

Reminder: Upcoming webinar event
This month, TG launches a series of live, Web-based, cost-free training events, which will focus on current issues in the financial aid industry, as well as financial aid fundamentals.

TG's Maria Luna-Torres helps students stay on top of debt
Few people understand the value of a higher education as well as first-generation college students. Just ask TG's Maria Luna-Torres who was first in her family to get a college degree and experienced some of the trials of a first-generation student.

Make it fun: TG offers middle-schoolers a clue-finding puzzle on higher education
Planting the seed of interest in higher education at an early age is a smart idea. An aware student is more likely to explore his or her career options with the help of a degree. TG provides an incentive to begin that learning process with a fun puzzle in the vein of "Where's Waldo?"

TG closed on Presidents Day
TG will be closed next Monday, February 16, in observance of Presidents Day.

Trends and Issues

Policy potpourri
Are there any restrictions for the serial use of a PLUS MPN in cases where a PLUS borrower uses an endorser to obtain the loan?

This, That, and the Other...

TG offers an informative program that explains how to complete and submit the FAFSA. Provided at no cost, the FAFSA-Made-Easy program is available to higher education institutions as well as high schools, libraries, and other outreach groups. To receive the program, organizations can register at www.aie.org/FAFSAMadeEasy/Register. Registered organizations receive a promotional packet that includes the DVD (in Spanish or English), posters, flyers, a sign-up sheet, and other materials to promote the program. As an added bonus, students who view the program can complete and return a Program Evaluation Form, which enters the student for a scholarship drawing.

For more information, contact TG's director of pre-college success Richard Sapp at (800) 252-9743, ext. 2865, or send an e-mail message to richard.sapp@tgslc.org.