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The Biden administration has proposed changes that could dramatically lower monthly student loan payments. The plan calculates monthly payments based on a borrower's discretionary income. Insider's Featured Student Loan Refinance Companies SoFi Student Loan RefinancingSplash Financial Student Loan RefinancingEarnest Student Loan Refinancing Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. APR Variable: 4.49% - 8.99%, Fixed: 4.49% - 8.99% Editor's Rating 4.5/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star APR Variable: 3.99% - 8.99% with AutoPay, Fixed: 4.39% - 8.99% with AutoPay Editor's Rating 3.5/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star APR Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. According to the Education Data Initiative, half of student loan borrowers still owe $20,000 each on outstanding loan balances after 20 years of entering school.

☆ With mortgage rates dropping and fee changes in the pipeline, now may be the time to buy that home
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jason Stauffer | Benji Stawski | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Is now a good time to lock-in your mortgage rate? As long as the Federal Funds rate stays high, so will mortgage rates. Today's 30-year mortgage rates are currently 0.93% lower than they were last fall, when rates hit 7.08%. The upcoming FHFA fee changes affect conforming conventional loans, which can be sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac by lenders. The future fee changes will add an additional layer of complexity to a process that already causes heads to spin.

☆ Meet a 52-year-old who has struggled to repay their $480,000 in student debt on income-driven plans and has pushed off retirement: 'This is an albatross around my neck for the rest of my life'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Angel, a 52-year-old student-loan borrower, has $480,000 in student debt. Their debt has surged due to payments on income-driven repayment plans and ballooning interest. Biden announced reforms to those repayment plans, but it's unclear how they will be implemented. "And I know that that's a concern for a lot of people I know with student loans." "If education is really about us being better contributors to society, then why are they charging interest on the student loans?"

☆ A 28-year-old who owns 42 cash-flowing properties explains how he’s growing his portfolio in the coming year. He shares his top 6 tips to get ahead, including the type of mortgage to secure.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In 2022, Harr had to quickly exit a few deals after rising mortgage rates slowed demand. He now can factor in higher interest rates, the bank's new requirements, and the expected correction in home prices. On the other end, he will keep multi-family homes because they provide higher cash flow under one roof. Additionally, since interest rates are higher, a pricier home means a bigger mortgage and more paid interest over principal, he noted. You can put down as little as 3.5% without getting hit with a higher interest rate.

☆ President Biden just announced updates to student loan repayment—here's what borrowers need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden Administration released details this week on its plan to overhaul the current income-driven repayment plan known as Revised Pay As You Earn plan (REPAYE) for federal student loan borrowers. All student borrowers with direct federal loans (not parent PLUS loans) are eligible for REPAYE repayment plans. The change would also stop interest from accruing on balances while borrowers qualify for $0 monthly payments. No interest accumulation while making regular paymentsUnder the current REPAYE plan, sometimes borrowers' monthly payments are lower than the interest accrued on the loan. Those who borrowed $12,000 or less would be eligible for loan forgiveness after 10 years of monthly payments.

☆ Biden's Education Department just proposed a new way to make monthly student-loan payments 'more affordable and manageable than ever before'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Education Department unveiled additional details of its reformed income-driven repayment (IDR) plan. It would amend the REPAYE plan by cutting undergraduate student loan payments in half and prevent interest capitalization. One of those programs is the income-driven repayment (IDR) plan, which is intended to give borrowers affordable monthly payments based on their discretionary income with the promise of loan forgiveness after at least 20 years. "Today the Biden-Harris administration is proposing historic changes that would make student loan repayment more affordable and manageable than ever before," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. Rather than creating an entirely new plan, as a fact sheet said, the department will amend the Revised PayAs You Earn (REPAYE) plan, which was created in 2016 to calculate borrowers' monthly payments based on their discretionary income.

Conforming mortgage lenders will start using FICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0 scoring models to evaluate borrowers. These newer scoring models utilize alternative credit data, such as rent payment history, and use a trended data approach. But soon, lenders will be asked to start using two newer scoring models: the FICO 10T and the VantageScore 4.0. The FHFA describes these models as "more inclusive" than the FICO scoring models that lenders have been using for the last two decades. Currently, mortgage lenders pull credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus and look at the scores on each of those reports.

☆ What millions of student-loan borrowers need to know as 2023 shapes up to be a year of uncertainty for Biden's relief
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Student-loan borrowers are facing a year of uncertainty in 2023. Broad student-debt relief is up in the air as the Supreme Court will make a decision on its legality. The other lawsuit was filed by two student-loan borrowers who sued because they did not qualify for the full $20,000 amount of debt relief. Student-loan payment resumptionWhen federal borrowers resume payments is entirely dependent on how the legal challenges play out. Reforms to targeted loan forgiveness programsThe summer of 2023 should bring borrowers some changes to specific student-loan forgiveness programs.

What credit scores don't captureLenders have always needed a way to determine a borrower's creditworthiness, and credit scores were a faster, easier way to do so. "If you look at credit scores from the perspective of other social actors, like policymakers or consumer advocates, why someone does or does not repay might start to have more bearing on how you make sense of credit scores," says Kiviat. The credit scoring system can also reflect and even worsen existing racial and wealth inequality. However, the credit scoring and reporting systems can function imperfectly, leaving many of the most marginalized without credit scores or with poor credit scores. Furthermore, policymakers have been considering how to make it easier for people to access their credit scores and resolve mistakes on their credit reports.

New Fannie Mae changes aim to make access to mortgage financing more equitable. But with these new changes, which allow mortgage lenders to use data from a borrower's bank statements to help establish creditworthiness, those who have no credit score may have an easier time qualifying for a mortgage. These changes only affect borrowers who have no score, meaning that those who do have a credit score will still be evaluated based on whether their score meets minimum requirements. Many of those who are credit invisible would otherwise be ideal borrowers, but because they don't have a traditional credit score, they often have trouble getting a mortgage. Just because you don't have a traditional credit score doesn't mean it's impossible to get a mortgage and purchase a home.

☆ 9 million people received student debt forgiveness emails with an error—here's what borrowers need to know
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden's student debt forgiveness plan is still on hold for everyone. But at least 9 million borrowers may have further confusion about their debt forgiveness. The subject line on the erroneous emails read "Your Student Loan Debt Relief Plan Application Has Been Approved." The error affected borrowers with loans serviced by Accenture Federal Services, and has no impact on the borrower's debt relief. Sign up now: Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletterDon't miss: Student debt forgiveness is on hold for now—here's why it's blocked and what could happen next

☆ Cash-strapped home sellers and buyers are getting much-needed relief with four weeks of mortgage rate drops
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This week, the average rate for a 30-year mortgage stood at 6.33% – marking the fourth consecutive week of declines. Mortgage rates have declined three quarters of a point over the last four weeks, representing the largest drop since 2008. Over the last four weeks, mortgage rates have declined three quarters of a point — marking the largest drop since 2008. The recent downturn reverses a protracted period of hikes in mortgage rates and could make home purchases more affordable for prospective buyers. There is a flip-side to the latest slide in mortgage rates, however.

☆ 360,000 student loan borrowers received $24 billion in forgiveness from fix to Public Service Loan Forgiveness
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In October 2021, the Biden administration announced a one-year opportunity for student loan borrowers pursuing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness to get closer to being debt-free. Signed into law by then-President George W. Bush in 2007, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program allows certain nonprofit and government employees to have their federal student loans canceled after 10 years, or 120 payments. More from Personal Finance:Biden's student loan forgiveness plan is on holdInflation-adjusted college costs declineThese colleges promise no student debtThe average borrower got more than $67,000 in student debt cleared. "These borrowers previously faced obstacles based on frustrating technicalities despite having worked in a qualifying public service job," Kantrowitz said. The reforms under the Biden administration included reassessing borrowers' timelines and counting some payments that were previously ineligible because of a borrower's loan type or repayment plan.

☆ Ivy Zelman, who famously predicted the 2008 housing crash, says that home prices could drop 20% from their current values if the economy doesn't improve
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Fed's fight against inflation has led to high mortgage interest rates, cooling housing demands. As demand falls, Ivy Zelman, a real-estate anaylist, said national home prices could fall by 20%. As long as mortgage rates remain elevated, Zelman said housing demand will continue to shrink — ultimately resulting in even steeper price cuts from sellers. This latest slide in rates is just 0.59% below the two-decade high that the rate hit just three weeks earlier. But as Zelman herself suggested, if the Fed continues with further rate hikes and mortgage rates remain elevated in 2023, this will become the likely culprit to a protracted housing slump.

Though mortgage rates aren't directly impacted by Fed hikes, rates often trend up or down based on how investors expect Fed policy to affect the broader economy. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage calculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. Whether mortgage rates will drop in 2023 hinges on if the Federal Reserve can get inflation under control. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

☆ More Foreclosures, Easier Mortgages Would Help Fix America's Housing Market
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

These standards are based on factors including the borrower's financial stability and the state of the housing market and economy. Finding the right size for the credit box is much easier said than done. A tidal wave of foreclosures followed, plunging the US housing market — and the global economy — into chaos. Even just stabilizing the credit box over time could also help smooth out some of the boom-and-bust cycles that have come to define the housing market. "If we do not address this intrinsic cyclicality, the housing market will continue to experience boom-bust cycles, leaving destruction in their wake," the paper said.

The Department of Veterans Affairs doesn't set a minimum credit score for VA loans, but lenders typically do. VA loan borrowers need to meet minimum service requirements set by the VA, as well as minimum credit requirements set by their lender. VA lenders that accept low credit scoresAs you prepare to apply for a mortgage, look for lenders that have low minimum credit score requirements or are willing to work with borrowers who have rocky credit histories. If you currently have no credit score, you may be able to use non-traditional credit with certain lenders to prove your creditworthiness. Lowering your credit card balances will also decrease your credit utilization ratio, which can increase your credit score.

☆ Meet a 26-year-old who acquired $1 million in real estate properties starting with an $18,000 loan. He explains his strategy, and why beginners should purchase their first homes through FHA.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

James Walker III has acquired $1 million in real estate properties at 26 years old. Four years ago, he used with an $18,000 loan to buy his first FHA property for $350,000. "So you see that genesis of both real estate and entrepreneurship coming in my formative years through seeing my parents really go big in real estate," he said. With an FHA loan, the property must be the borrower's primary residence for at least a year. You build this up foundationally and you set yourself up for the day where real estate surpasses your primary income."

☆ Biden's step toward allowing student loan discharge in bankruptcy is 'a step in the right direction,' director of new student loan documentary says, but 'the devil is always in the details'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"Loan Wolves," a documentary about the law surrounding bankruptcy and student loans, premiers Dec. 11 on MSNBC. Currently, two words inserted into a '90s law make it nearly impossible for borrowers to declare bankruptcy over student loan debt. The conversation surrounding the "undue hardship" clause and student loan discharge through bankruptcy has evolved in recent years, as the Biden administration has progressed on promises to discharge some student debt and address the growing debt crisis. Cancelation of student debt? Schumer has been pushing Biden to cancel student loan debt.

☆ Biden administration to make it easier for student loan borrowers to discharge debt in bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden speaks on the student debt relief plan as Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona listens in at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 17, 2022. The Biden administration announced on Thursday updated guidelines that will make it easier for those struggling with their student debt to discharge it in bankruptcy. Under the rules, the agencies may recommend that a bankruptcy judge discharge a borrower's student debt if they find their case warrants it. Currently, it's difficult, if not impossible, for someone to walk away from their federal student debt in a normal bankruptcy proceeding. Outstanding student debt exceeds $1.7 trillion, and even before the pandemic, some 10 million borrowers were in delinquency or default.

☆ Biden's administration just made it easier for student-loan borrowers to get rid of their debt in court
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Education and Justice Department released new guidance on bankruptcy for student-loan borrowers. The guidance gives federal borrowers an easier path to relief by making the process more transparent. On Thursday, President Joe Biden's Education and Justice Departments released new guidance on the pathway for student-loan borrowers to get rid of their debt through bankruptcy. While the undue hardship standard still exists, it's an improvement in that the clear guidelines will allow for consistent treatment of loan discharges. It also gives the Justice Department clear standards for recommending relief to the judge without having to go through time-consuming investigations, per the press release.

According to the source, FTX did not have nearly enough on hand. Its biggest customer, according to a source, was the hedge fund Alameda. In general, mixing customer funds with counterparties and trading them without explicit consent, according to U.S. securities law, is illegal. Sam Bankman-Fried declined to comment on allegations of misappropriating customer funds, but did say its recent bankruptcy filing was a result of issues with a leveraged trading position. The blurred lines between FTX and Alameda Research resulted in a massive liquidity crisis for both companies.

☆ The fate of Biden's student-loan forgiveness rests in the federal courts after neither party looks likely to gain a significant majority in the midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That means that the fate of President Joe Biden's student-loan forgiveness doesn't lie in the hands of lawmakers, but rather, the federal courts. "We are disappointed in the decision of the Texas court to block loan relief moving forward. Amidst efforts to block our debt relief program, we are not standing down," he added. The department also aims to roll out improvements to targeted loan forgiveness programs, like Public Service Loan Forgiveness, by next summer. "It must use all of its tools to fight to ensure that borrowers receive the debt relief they need."

A good credit score to buy a car is often above 660, as you're then considered a "prime" borrower. While a good FICO credit score to buy a car with a loan is usually above 660, according to Experian data, there's no industry-wide, official minimum. According to Experian's analysis of auto loans in the second quarter of 2022, borrowers who received financing for a new car had an average credit score of 738, while borrowers who received financing for a used car had an average credit score of 675. What is a good credit score to buy a car? While FICO remains the most widely used credit score across all types of borrowing, an auto lender may also look at your credit score from VantageScore, a relatively new credit scoring system developed by the three credit bureaus.

☆ 5.5 million student-loan borrowers will struggle to restart payments in January, a consumer watchdog finds — but a third of them could have their balances completely wiped out if Biden's debt cancella
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The CFPB said that 5.5 million student-loan borrowers could struggle to repay debt in January. But one-third of them could have their balances completely wiped out from Biden's debt relief plan. As the CFPB said, 19% of those borrowers currently have balances under $10,000, and 16% have balances between $10,000 and $20,000. "And many borrowers with multiple risk factors who still have outstanding balances when payments resume may have reduced balances going forward." "That's 16 million Americans, so far, who should be seeing student debt relief in the coming days," Biden said.

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