Register: AOAExcel to provide free Student Loan workshop to AOA members

On August 24, the federal government announced the extension of the student loan payment holiday through December 31, 2022, along with a relief plan for up to $10,000 in student loan forgiveness (up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients) for individual borrowers making less than $125,000.  

This means, thousands of AOA members may be required to resume payment and may begin accruing interest on federal student loans for the first time in over 2 years. AOAExcel has teamed up with Laurel Road to provide a free workshop to assist AOA members in navigating the end of the student loan payment holiday.

This live-event workshop will cover topics such as:

• How ODs can position their student loans during interest rate uncertainty
• What the federal student loan payment & interest pause means for ODs
• Explanation of the federal student loan forgiveness as it pertains to ODs
• What is student loan refinancing – are you eligible? Could you save by refinancing? Will refinancing affect your credit score?
• How AOA members can save up to 0.25% by refinancing with Laurel Road ²

AOA members are encouraged to bring their own individual questions about student loans and have them answered live during the workshop. AOAExcel will also be giving away an attendance prize of a Nike Dri-Fit® Zip-Up!

REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP

What is the Student Loan Payment Re-start?

Back in March 2020, Congress passed the CARES Act which suspended student loan payments, stopped the collection on defaulted loans and reduced the interest rate to zero on qualifying federal student loans (sometimes referred to as the Student Loan Payment Holiday, Student Loan Federal Interest Pause or Student Loan Payment Freeze), in order to provide relief during the start of the pandemic. Originally, this payment & interest freeze was set to expire on September 30, 2020. However, this deadline has been extended several times throughout 2021 & 2022 with the final extension ending on December 31, 2022.

What Happens Next?

On January 1, 2023, all payments on federal student loans will resume their pre-pandemic schedule and interest will once again begin accruing on these loans. All student loan holders will be expected to resume their repayment plans. If you were enrolled in an auto-pay plan you will need to check with your lender to see if there are additional steps that need to be taken to restart your payments. In addition, a loan holder will no longer be protected if they miss a payment and default on a loan.

Have additional questions? Be sure to attend AOAExcel’s Navigating the Student Loan Payment Re-start with Confidence Workshop on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 8PM ET. AOAExcel & Laurel Road encourage AOA members to bring their own questions to the workshop or email questions to webinars@laurelroad.com ahead of time.

Are you ready to refinance now? Check your rates in less than 5 minutes without any effect on your credit score ¹ or easily apply online today.

REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP

_{All credit products are subject to credit approval. Laurel Road is a brand of KeyBank National Association. All products offered by KeyBank N.A.}

_{IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Education recently announced a student loan debt relief plan which includes forgiveness of up to $10,000 for qualifying federal student loans and up to $20,000 for qualifying Pell Grant recipients. For more information, please visit: https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement.}

_{Please note that if you refinance qualifying federal student loans with Laurel Road, you may no longer be eligible for certain benefits or programs and waive your right to future benefits or programs offered on those loans.  Please carefully consider your options when refinancing federal student loans and consult http://www.studentaid.gov for the most current information.}

_{¹Checking your rate with Laurel Road only requires a soft credit pull, which will not affect your credit score. To proceed with an application, a hard credit pull will be required, which may affect your credit score.
²The 0.25% American Optometric Association (AOA) member interest rate discount is offered on new student loan refinance applications from active AOA members. The AOA discount is applied to your monthly payment and will be reflected in your billing statement. The discount will end if the AOA notifies Laurel Road that the borrower is no longer a member. This offer cannot be combined with other member or employee discounts.}