How to Lower Your Private Student Loan Consolidation Payments

If you’re having trouble repaying your private student loans you can get help now with private student loan consolidation payments. A consolidation of student loans both consolidates all your private education loans into one loan and resets the loan’s terms.Because, for the most part, you can’t consolidate private student loans with federal student loans, the low federal student loan consolidation interest rates would not be applicable. However, it still is possible for you to pay less each month.You actually have quite a few options that can lower your monthly loan payments.1. Because your credit score strongly influences your interest rates, if your credit score has significantly risen since you applied for your loan, for example by fifty points or more, you might be able to get a lower rate when you consolidate your loans with a different lender.After doing your initial research, talk to your current lender and see if they can lower your interest rate on your current loans. They might consider doing this if they see that they could lose your business to a different lender.2. If you’re a homeowner, compare the interest rate on your variable interest rate school loans to a fixed rate home equity loan rate. If interest rates look like they are going to go up, you may want to get a home equity loan and use the money to pay off your private education loan. Doing this would guarantee that your interest rates will not increase.On the other hand, it also guarantees that they won’t go down if interest rates fall. And, worst case scenario, you could possibly lose your home, so be cautious with this option.3. You can consolidate student loans with an educational lender, such as the private consolidation loan divisions of either Wells Fargo, Chase, the Student Loan Network or others.These companies offer different repayment plans. Some offer up to 15-year term while others offer up to 30-year term. The interest rates they charge as well as fee structures also vary.Because these differences can amount to thousands of dollars in savings, most people that consider consolidating their student loans do extensive research and even do a spreadsheet analysis comparing the pros and cons of each offer before choosing the option that’s right for them. Luckily, the Internet makes it very easy to get the information you need to make these comparisons.When you evaluate private lenders consolidation loans, make sure to find out1. If their interest rates are fixed or variable2. If there are any prepayment penalties, and3. Whether or not there are any fees and what they are.