SLGFA Annual Conference, March 10, 2010

conference1   It was a jungle out there, but more than 170 participants from more than 50 schools, lenders, and servicers learned how to "Survive, Adapt and Thrive" on Wednesday at the 2010 SLGFA Annual Conference: "It's a Jungle Out There," hosted at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Little Rock.

March 10, 2010, marked another successful conference for SLGFA. For more than 20 years, SLGFA has hosted an annual conference to aid schools and lenders in navigating federal regulations and legislative changes in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP).

"SLGFA is proud to host this free conference in order to provide schools, lenders, and servicers the benefits of our knowledgeable staff," SLGFA Client Services Division Manager Janet Gonyea said. "With recent changes in the student loan industry, SLGFA wants schools and lenders to know that our staff is here to help."

NCHELP Meteor Project Manager Tim Cameron presenting the session "Split-Servicing: Tools and Strategies to Help Track and Manage Debt," which offered tools and processes that schools can use to educate and assist students in managing their debt and avoiding default. conference2

SLGFA was also honored to have Tamika Edwards, community affairs specialist for the Office of U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, in attendance at this year's conference. Senator Lincoln's continued support of the student loan industry has been an appreciated resource.

This year's conference highlighted year-round Pell, ECASLA operational issues for schools, the topic of split-servicing, the three-year cohort default rate, SLGFA default prevention initiatives, how to survive, adapt, and thrive during changing times, and an SLGFA update.

conference3   SLGFA Caller Information and Assistance Department Manager Theresa McDuffee presents "ECASLA Operational Issues for Schools," advising participants on how to best process change transactions for "put" loans and refund procedures that help ensure timely processing.

SLGFA was also pleased to announce that it will be providing schools with an updated version of its "FFELP Debt Management Guide: A Supplement to Entrance and Exit Counseling" in April. In addition to updating the content of the booklet, it has also been resized to a 6-by-9 inch format for ease of mailing. Schools can pre-order the booklet via e-mail.

SLGFA School and Lender Services Department Manager Karen Williams shows participants SLGFA's "FFELP Repayment Plan Options" leaflet in the session "3-Year Cohort Default Rate and SLGFA Default Prevention Initiatives." Karen highlighted several informational publications that SLGFA offers free to schools. conference4

As always, SLGFA provides the conference PowerPoint presentations on its Web site for those who were unable to attend the conference or for those who would like to reference the presentations again at a later date.

With the conclusion of the conference, SLGFA would appreciate your feedback to help us plan next year's annual conference. Participants can complete and submit the 2010 SLGFA Annual Conference Evaluation Form online or print the form and fax it to 501-688-7675.