Back to current
Shoptalk Online Contents

TG Updates

Shoptalk Online 497, March 31, 2009

TG Updates

TG launches enhanced AdvanTG Web™ and TG Loans By Web™ first weekend in April

TG's spring software release introduces a variety of processing efficiencies to its application and loan management system, AdvanTG Web™, and its online loan application tool, TG Loans By Web™. Enhanced versions of these two systems will be available after April 4, the first weekend in April.

Modifications to AdvanTG Web simplify change transaction management as well as open loan processing to any combination of FFELP lender, school, or guarantor. (See the short summary of changes below for details, or review the recent Shoptalk Online article that itemizes these modifications in detail.)

The spring release of TG Loans By Web offers a number of key changes, including improvements to e-sign options, security, and data collection. (Review the short summary of changes below, or read the more detailed article in a previous edition of Shoptalk Online.)

Here is a short review of added features and enhancements for both systems.

AdvanTG Web's change transaction management
The change transaction redesign helps reduce possible rejects of change transaction records by guiding users to appropriate transactions according to the disbursement or loan status. Modifications have been made to other areas of change transactions to make processing easier and more efficient. Among other things, these changes:

Consolidate all @1-09 (disbursement-level changes, pre-disbursement) and @1-10 (disbursement-level changes, post-disbursement) transactions into a new Change/Add Disbursement screen;
Streamline change transaction management with a user-friendly interface and plain language menu options;
Help automate the process, generating change transactions from pre-populated loan data or from disbursements;
Offer unlimited change transactions; and
Process loan modifications instantly.

Enhanced TG Loans By Web
TG Loans By Web changes add more flexibility to the application process, allowing for any combination of school, FFELP lender, or guarantor. TG Loans By Web also:

Provides a new borrower registration process, which helps ensure borrower security;
Provides an e-sign option in cases where the lender does not provide the feature or prefers that TG provide it; offered at no cost;
Retains a borrower's selection of a lender in a transition from an external loan Web site; and
Offers the ability to display a school's recommended lender list.

Webinars scheduled to review changes
Webinars reviewing the various changes have been scheduled for each product. See the companion article in this edition for more information.

For help
For questions about updates to TG's products, please contact TG's product support team at (800) 332-1455, or send an e-mail to product.support@tgslc.org.

Product webinars for enhanced AdvanTG Web™ and TG Loans By Web™ offered

On April 4, TG will make available improved versions of AdvanTG Web and TG Loans By Web. To help users benefit from these modifications and incorporate them effectively into their loan processing, TG has scheduled various webinars that explain the changes and offer time for customer Q&A.

Webinar times and topics
Webinars reviewing the various changes have been scheduled for each product before and after the new release. Here is a complete list.

Wednesday, April 1, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., CDT: change transaction redesign
Thursday, April 2, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., CDT: AdvanTG Web and TG Loans By Web enhancements
Friday, April 3, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., CDT: change transaction redesign (repeat session)
Friday, April 3, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., CDT: AdvanTG Web and TG Loans By Web enhancements (repeat session)
Monday, April 6, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., CDT: change transaction redesign (repeat)
Tuesday, April 7, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., CDT: AdvanTG Web and TG Loans By Web enhancements (repeat)
Wednesday, April 8, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., CDT: TG Loans By Web's open processing and e-sign options
Thursday, April 9, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., CDT: TG Loans By Web's open processing and e-sign options (repeat)
Tuesday, April 14, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., CDT: TG Loans By Web open processing, e-sign options, and change transaction redesign
Wednesday, April 15, 10 a.m.-11 a.m., CDT: TG Loans By Web open processing, e-sign options, and change transaction redesign (repeat)

To participate in a webinar
To participate, register for one of the listed webinars at www.tgslc.org/training/webinars/register.cfm.

For help
For questions about TG Loans By Web or AdvanTG Web, please contact TG's product support team at (800) 332-1455, or send an e-mail to product.support@tgslc.org.

TG reduces its EFT charge for disbursements for all loan types

TG is committed to providing efficient loan processing solutions at the most affordable rates for customers. For disbursements made on or after April 1, 2009, TG has lowered its Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) cost to $1.22 per disbursement for lenders using TG's EFT product for FFELP Stafford, PLUS, and Grad PLUS loans, as well as private loans.

TG began disbursing loan funds through its EFT process in 1991, and, since then, has made over $22 billion in electronic disbursements. TG's EFT offers a single-source CommonLine-compliant, electronic loan disbursement process.

The EFT tool offers several processing efficiencies, including overnight or three-day funds transfers as well as an automated reporting feature that provides a daily log of all transactions. The process can handle private, TG-guaranteed, and non-TG-guaranteed FFELP loans together.

"TG is dedicated to offering products that enhance loan processing," said Kim Alexander, TG's vice president of customer focus. "EFT offers fast, efficient funding. TG continually works to improve this service to save lenders and schools time and effort as they manage disbursements."

For more information
To learn more about TG's EFT process, or for questions related to EFT, contact TG's product support team at (800) 332-1455, or send an e-mail message to product.support@tgslc.org.

Early registration deadline today for TG Annual Training Conference

If you're looking for a varied training experience that spotlights the latest regulatory and industry change, you'll find no better option than the 2009 TG Annual Training Conference. This year's conference debuts on Wednesday, April 22, at the Renaissance Hotel in Austin, Texas. Themed "Stepping Up for Students — The Rhythm of FFELP," the conference offers more than 60 sessions geared to help you manage your financial aid processes more effectively, including workshops on default prevention, financial literacy, legislation such as the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA), and much more.

Early registration ends today, March 31; however, attendees can register up to the first day of the conference. Early registration rates for hotel accommodations at the Renaissance will also expire on March 31.

Planning a great training experience
TG presenters offer a comprehensive conference program, and attendees have a broad variety of interactive workshops from which to choose. Here's a sampling of featured trainings.

On the horizon: a look at the new three-year cohort data
Open access institutions: achieving student success
TG's new online training resource: financial aid for rookies
Income-Based Repayment
What's my communication style?
Schools engaging faculty in retention: school panel of success stories
Mapping Your Future® services for students
Creativity workshop

Agenda online
The conference agenda is available online and offers a day-by-day breakdown of sessions according to subject and time. The agenda provides a tool for choosing what sessions to focus on, learning more about keynote speakers, and planning for evening events. Receptions are scheduled immediately following general sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Find out more about this year's varied agenda by visiting TG Online at www.tgslc.org/tgconference/index.cfm.

To register
You can register for the conference at www.tgslc.org/tgconference/register.cfm.

TG offers updated borrower instruction sheets for enhanced TG Loans By Web™

In early April, TG will introduce an improved version of its online loan application tool, TG Loans By Web™. (See the previous article in this week's edition for more details on modifications.)

To help students and borrowers use the latest version of TG Loans By Web effectively, and to help you prepare for the upcoming award season, TG has updated the TG Loans By Web instruction sheets for student and parent borrowers.

To access and order
You can access the new version of the instruction sheets at www.tgslc.org/products/lbw/process.cfm. Use these electronic versions to print the instructions for your office. You can order full-color copies from TG's Online Requests page at www.tgslc.org/order/index.cfm.

To learn more
For more information about TG Loans By Web or TG's PLUS loan credit check service, PLUS Credit Connection™, contact TG product support at (800) 332-1455, or send an e-mail message to product.support@tgslc.org.