What to know if your student loans are transferred to a new servicer
Key takeaways
- Your loan may have been transferred for reasons like private loans getting sold, a contract ending with the federal government or signing up for other programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
- You’ll likely receive notices from both the old and new servicers, as well as the Department of Education, if the loan is federal.
- Print account information to keep a record of everything before the transfer. This way, in case of a mix-up, you can prove how the old loan was.
Managing your student loans can come with a learning curve, and navigating your servicer’s website may take some getting used to. That said, there is a chance that at some point during repayment, your loans will be transferred or bought out by a new servicer. Sometimes student loans can be switched to different servicer if the contract ends or if they are bought out by another lender.
No matter the reason, being prepared for this change is paramount to maintaining your student loan payments. Understanding what a new servicer will mean for your can help you stay organized and stress-free during the transition.
Why are my student loans being transferred to a new servicer?
A student loan transfer may happen for several reasons:
- Private loans may be bought out by another company.
- Federal loans may be transferred by the U.S. Department of Education from one member of its servicing team to another.
- Your federal loan servicer’s contract may end with the U.S. Department of Education, resulting in a transfer.
- Your loans may be transferred if you sign up for a loan forgiveness program such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or a TEACH Grant.
Federal student loan servicing changes
At the end of 2021, the Department of Education announced that it had adopted new standards for the companies servicing student loans in an effort to raise the level of service borrowers receive. This is part of a broader effort from the Education Department to improve resources and communication around federal student loan repayment.
As part of this process, there’s been a large turnover in student loan servicers contracted with the federal government. Servicers that have transitioned out include:
- Granite State Management & Resources: As of the end of 2021, all federal loans serviced by Granite State have been transferred to Edfinancial Services.
- Navient: As of the end of 2021, all federal student loans serviced by Navient have been transferred to Aidvantage.
- FedLoan (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency): The Department of Education is in the process of transferring all federal loans serviced by FedLoan to MOHELA, Aidvantage, Edfinancial Services and Nelnet. All borrowers who are pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness will be transferred to MOHELA.
What happens when your student loans get transferred?
When your loan servicer gets bought or your loans are transferred, you will receive a notice from your current student loan servicer and a welcome letter from your new servicer. The promissory note that you sign for each new student loan requires both the old and the new servicer to notify you of the change.
You should receive a letter from each of them when there is a servicer transfer. You may also receive notice from the Department of Education if your federal student loans are being transferred.
While loan terms won’t change if your student loan servicer changes, it can lead to a confusing shuffling of funds, some of which take borrowers by surprise. You will see a different servicer on your credit reports, and you’ll need to familiarize yourself with different customer support.
The new servicer may also have a different website or payment plan options. The new servicer should communicate any significant changes in the welcome letter.
What to know about federal vs. private student loan servicers
Federal student loan servicers and private student loan servicers can both be transferred, and both must follow specific guidelines to notify you about the changes.
Change in a federal student loan servicer
Your federal student loan servicer could change for a few reasons. For one, you may experience a change because the U.S. Department of Education ended its contract with your servicer, as is the case with Granite State, Navient and FedLoan.
You will also experience a servicer change if you sign up for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Right now, the U.S. Department of Education has only one servicer that manages accounts enrolled in the PSLF program.
So if you sign up for this program or others like it, you may get a new student loan servicer. You will also get a new servicer if you take out a Direct Consolidation Loan, though in this case, you will be able to choose your preferred servicer.
Change in private student loan servicer
You may experience a change in your private student loan servicer, as well. This often happens when a loan servicer is sold or when a private student loan company goes out of business. For instance, Wells Fargo exited the student loan business in 2021, and all existing loans were transferred to Firstmark Services.
What should I be aware of during the transfer process?
Consumers don’t have any “rights” when it comes to their loan servicers getting bought, says student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz. He offers the following advice to help the transition go smoothly.
Autopay might not transfer to the new servicer
If you have your monthly payments automatically taken out of your bank account, you will likely need to reenroll in the service once the student loan transfer is complete. Doing so is crucial — most servicers don’t inherit your past authorization and require a new one.
If you don’t re-enroll, you might go months without making a payment on your loans, which could result in them defaulting. Plus, automatic payments are usually the key to getting a discount on your interest rate, so your rate could rise if you don’t reinstate autopay.
Some features might disappear
Following the transfer look out for any features that you have lost. If you’ve consolidated your loans with another company, you might lose some enticing features, like automatic biweekly payments instead of monthly payments.
If you set up something similar with your new servicer, specify where you want your extra payment to be going. Some servicers might not automatically put it toward interest.
If your account now says ‘$0’ your loans haven’t magically disappeared
While it would be a welcomed miracle for an entire balance to “get lost” in the transition, it’s highly unlikely that will happen. Some student loan holders log in to their accounts and see a balance of $0, as well as expected payments of $0, as close as a week before the payment due date. However, even so, you’ll need to continue making payments regularly to avoid defaulting.
Be proactive about any repayment or forgiveness plans you were previously on
With any data transfer, things can get lost along the way. This can be detrimental if you’re on a loan forgiveness program, like income-driven repayment, where each month’s payment counts toward your loans being erased. Once the transfer is complete, call the new servicer to confirm your plan.
Make copies of your account balance, monthly payment and schedule
Kantrowitz stresses the importance of keeping records of your loan details. He recommends making printouts of your loan balances, as well as your monthly payment amounts, before and after the transition.
Keep track of how much you owe and what your payments are. This way, you can avoid any mix-ups turning into costly interest payments.
“You need to pay attention,” Kantrowitz says. “You need to stay on top of things because if they somehow lose your paperwork during the transition, it will manifest itself in the future.”
Next steps
If you find yourself among those whose loan servicer is being transferred, know that you can manage the transition with a few simple steps:
- Confirm your new servicer. You should receive a notification from your old servicer and a welcome letter from your new servicer if your account underwent a student loan transfer. If you don’t receive a welcome letter, reach out to the old servicer to find out who the new servicer is. You can also look up your federal student loan servicer through your dashboard at studentaid.gov.
- Set up automatic payments. If you had an automatic payment set up with your old servicer, it won’t transfer over to the new one. If you’d like to continue (or start) using autopay, use the new loan servicer’s site to set up your preferences.
- Explore your new servicer’s website and processes. All loan servicers have the same set of guidelines they need to follow for managing your student loans. However, they may handle the loans or process payments differently from your previous loan servicer. Spend time getting to know the details of your new servicer to make sure that everything is set up right for your needs.
