Federal Updates

Two more volumes of the 2009-10 Federal Student Aid Handbook now online
ED has released "Volume 4: Processing Aid and Managing Federal Student Aid Funds" and "Volume 5: Overawards, Overpayments, & Withdrawal Calculations" of the 2009-10 Federal Student Aid Handbook (FSA Handbook).

New supplemental claim filing documentation
Effective October 1, 2009, TG claims must begin collecting new supplemental claim filing documentation for claims involving Total/Permanent Disability (TPD), Ineligible Borrowers, or Identity Theft discharge. The new forms outlined below are required for all pertinent claim types submitted on or after October 1.

NSLDS issues data integrity reminder
The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) recently issued guidance to remind lenders and servicers that the Date Entered Repayment (DER) reported on a loan should not be modified as the result of additional activity on the loan, such as deferment, forbearance, rehabilitation, or repurchase.

TG Updates

TG releases redesigned corporate Web site TG Online
TG has launched an enhanced version of its corporate Web site, TG Online. The site has been crafted to provide financial aid information in a more efficient way.

Watch TG's 2009 Financial Literacy Symposiums online
This summer, TG offered two symposiums on developing and implementing an effective financial literacy program for college students. Speaker presentations from TG's 2009 Financial Literacy Symposiums as well as taped recordings of the events are now available online through the Positive+Balance Community℠, TG's online resource for educators and financial aid professionals seeking financial literacy solutions and support.

TG offers online and phone resources to help students complete a loan application through TG Loans By Web™
TG Loans By Web™ (LBW), TG's online loan application tool, provides a Web-based, efficient process for completing a loan application. To help borrowers use LBW more effectively, TG provides a variety of resources.

Product spotlight: Using AdvanTG Web™ to create mass hold/release change requests
AdvanTG Web™ provides schools and lenders with a simple way to create a mass hold or release of student loan disbursements — the "Mass Hold/Release" change request.

Trends and Issues

Policy potpourri
Our school received a call from a borrower's family member advising that the borrower was deceased. Should the school advise the family to fax a copy of the borrower's death certificate to the lender so that the loan discharge process may be initiated?

This, That, and the Other...

Beloit College in Wisconsin has just released its annual "mindset list" for the freshman class, the class of 2013. The mindset list provides an inventory of cultural touchstones for incoming students and a reminder to the rest of us of how temporary many things are that we take for granted.

This year's list features 75 political, technological, or cultural events or changes of the last quarter century. Here's a sampling: For the newest class of college students, the European Union has always existed. "Watching the news" is not an evening ritual; news has always been easy to access throughout the day. Bungee jumping has always been a sport of sorts and not a fad. The Jolly Green Giant refers to Shrek and not to a company's advertising campaign for its canned or frozen vegetables.

Read the complete Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2013 online.