Session 49 How Direct Loan Servicing is Improving the Financial Aid Experience For You and Your Students Presenter: Cindy Battle

2 Agenda Direct Loan Update - Facts and Figures - HERA Update - Outreach Activities - Customer Surveys Borrower Web Site School Web Site Direct Loan Servicing Tomorrow

3 6.4 Million Active Borrowers Borrowers = Students + Alumni + Parents As of August 2006 Total Direct Loan Borrowers Direct Loan Borrower Portfolio Population Status In School In Grace In Repayment 1,673, ,504 3,327,424 In Deferment 672,515 In Forbearance 410,357

4 Call Center Stats In 2005, the Direct Loan Servicing Center Representatives received almost 6 million calls. In comparison, from January 2006 through end of August 2006, the Direct Loan Servicing Center Representatives received a little more than 4 million calls. Debt Collections Loan ConsolidationDirect Loan Servicing

5 HERA Update Teacher Loan Forgiveness Military Deferment False Certification (Identity Theft) Rehabilitation of defaulted loans

6 Website Statistics (January – August 2006) 14,363,618 - Web Visits 7,563,027 – Unique Web Visits 475,098 - Average Visits Per Day 49,870 - Pay Plan Changes 33,388 – Pay Date Changes 92,966 – General Forbearance Submitted 17,210 – Unemployment Deferment Submitted 315,222 – Entrance Counseling Sessions 375,180 – Entrance Counseling Schools 90,278 – Exit Counseling Sessions 91,115 – Exit Counseling Schools Website Statistics (January – August 2006) 14,363,618 - Web Visits 7,563,027 – Unique Web Visits 475,098 - Average Visits Per Day 49,870 - Pay Plan Changes 33,388 – Pay Date Changes 92,966 – General Forbearance Submitted 17,210 – Unemployment Deferment Submitted 315,222 – Entrance Counseling Sessions 375,180 – Entrance Counseling Schools 90,278 – Exit Counseling Sessions 91,115 – Exit Counseling Schools Tangible Benefits Improved customer satisfaction Online resource referrals Consistency of information Better educated & informed customer Reduction in turnaround times Tangible Benefits Improved customer satisfaction Online resource referrals Consistency of information Better educated & informed customer Reduction in turnaround times Web Site Benefits

7 Borrower Outreach - EDA Electronic Debit Account Campaign (EDA) –Executed an campaign in Spring 2006 to all online borrowers with active s. –Campaign doubled our EDA enrollments in the month the campaign was executed. –Future plans include an ongoing monthly “in-grace” campaign to those borrowers entering repayment.

8 Electronic Services Electronic Bill Presentment Only Electronic Bill Presentment + Correspondence Electronic Correspondence Only Electronic Correspondence + Electronic Debit Account Electronic Debit Account Only The Direct Loan Servicing program just celebrated over 2 billion dollars processed through the web site since online payments were made available, not including third party payments.

9 Borrower Outreach - Loan Consolidation Loan Consolidation –Executed an campaign in Spring 2006 to all online borrowers with active s. –Designed and mailed comprehensive school kit to all Direct Loan schools with materials on Loan Consolidation. –Used “On-Line Advisor” scripts to customize messages to borrowers by status. –Used Web banners and news articles to educate borrowers on the benefits of Loan Consolidation.

10 Loan Consolidation Peak Update Loan Consolidation –LC Bookings have increased by more than 85% in the two-month period of June/July 2006 compared to the same period last year. –The total June/July 2006 bookings of 298,532 exceeded the 2005 volume by over 137,000 for the same two-month period.

11 Measuring Customer Satisfaction

12 Customer Satisfaction Surveys survey is customizable to address key issues allows performance to be tracked over time allows performance to be benchmarked helps identify actions necessary to correct performance issues – can prioritize improvement initiatives

13 What Are Our Customer’s Saying?? “I would like to have an electronic message sent to me if I forget my online password, because I don't really like to wait for it in the mail” “I am a little upset that I need to upgrade to a computer for it to be easier to deal with the loan repayment process.”

Borrower Satisfaction Results Confidence Customer Satisfaction Complaints Statements Website Voice Response Unit Call Center Representative 86 4% Electronic Debit Score Impact

15 Satisfaction Benchmarks Federal Government DL Servicing among the best in the Federal Government!

School Satisfaction Survey School surveys were conducted this year to evaluate satisfaction through phone, and web sites. 5 point scale 5 = Extremely Satisfied 4 = Very Satisfied 3 = Satisfied 2 = Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied 1 = Dissatisfied NA = Not Applicable

17 School Survey Highlights 59.9% of Schools said they were “Extremely Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” with the service they received 33.5% of Schools said they were “Satisfied” with the service they received Only 6.6% said they were “Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied” or “Dissatisfied” with the service they received More than 93% of the schools were satisfied, very satisfied or extremely satisfied with the service they received

18 Questions with Highest Responses Website –How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with the availability of the Website? Phone –How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with the timeliness of responses to your call? Overall Experience –How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with the overall performance of the Direct Loan Servicing Center, School Services Group? Phone –How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with your overall experience calling the School’s Servicing Center?

19 Questions with Lowest Responses Students Experience (Servicing Center) – 3.35 –How satisfied/dissatisfied were your students that the CSR handled the issue in one call? Students Experience (Servicing Center) – 3.36 –How satisfied/dissatisfied were your students with the knowledge of the CSR? Students Experience (Servicing Center) – 3.37 –How satisfied/dissatisfied were your students with the follow-up promised during their call? Website – 3.37 –How satisfied/dissatisfied were you with the “Help” function of the Website?

20 Direct Loan Servicing Web Site For Borrowers - Real Time Account Information Online Transaction Processing - Borrower Self-Service Online Counseling and Rules Based Messaging Interactive Pre-qualifier for Deferment and Forbearance Requests including online submission with eSignatures Online payments Electronic Mail Services EDA Enrollment Online Calculators Online Surveys For Schools - Student Account Lookup Online Reports – Portfolio, Delinquency and Counseling Complete Question Center For Borrowers - Real Time Account Information Online Transaction Processing - Borrower Self-Service Online Counseling and Rules Based Messaging Interactive Pre-qualifier for Deferment and Forbearance Requests including online submission with eSignatures Online payments Electronic Mail Services EDA Enrollment Online Calculators Online Surveys For Schools - Student Account Lookup Online Reports – Portfolio, Delinquency and Counseling Complete Question Center

21 Key Features Highly Secure PIN protected Data encryption Section 508 Compliant for borrowers with disabilities English/Spanish option for entire site Winner of multiple prestigious awards Online Tour – tutorial to aid borrowers in using site Search Feature & Site Map help borrowers find what they need quickly Borrower Web Site Homepage

22 Borrower Web Site Personalized Online Messages Key Features Personalized messages are displayed to borrowers based on their account status and other information. Messages include information about last and next payment, options for delinquent borrowers, and special information as the need arises.

23 Borrower Web Site Real Time Account Information- Account Summary Key Features Account Balances - Borrowers can see their total student loan indebtedness in one place. Direct Loan Balances Total Indebtedness (FFEL and Perkins loans from NSLDS) Last Loan Payment – Borrowers can confirm the date and amount of their last payment on the Account Summary page.

24 Key Features Payment History - Complete Record of all payments ever made by the borrower Payment Type – Online, Main, EDA, etc. Breakdown of Payment into Principal, Interest or Fees Borrower Web Site Real Time Account Information – Payment History

25 Key Features Electronic Promissory Note Retrieval Borrowers who use eSignatures for promissory notes can retrieve a copy of their promissory note online at any time. Borrower Web Site Real Time Account Information – Document Retrieval

26 Key Features Borrowers can change their Repayment Plans online as their circumstances change. Borrowers can view amortization plans for the different repayment plans before they make changes. Borrower Web Site Customer Self Service – Change Repayment Plans

27 Key Features Borrowers can change their Payment Due Dates online as their circumstances change. This can help reduce delinquency by customizing payment options for the borrower. Borrower Web Site Customer Self Service – Change Payment Due Dates

28 Key Features Forms that a borrower may need are available for downloading from the DLS Web site. Borrowers can determine immediately if they qualify for deferment or forbearance of their payments through online interactive sessions. Borrowers can submit Unemployment Deferment and General Forbearance applications online using eSignatures. Borrower Web Site Online Form Submission

29 Key Features Borrowers can schedule payments for up to six months in advance, schedule recurring payments, store multiple bank accounts, and receive reminders. This saves time and money in postage for the borrower. Borrower Web Site Online Payments

30 Key Features Borrowers can choose to receive their bills and correspondence online instead of in paper through the mail. Benefits for borrowers who receive their information electronically, include security, speed, and convenience. Electronic billing and correspondence help the environment by reducing the volume of paper we mail out each year. Borrower Web Site Electronic Mail Services

31 Key Features The Interest Capitalization Estimator helps borrowers understand the effects and consequences of capitalized interest on their loans as a result of deferred payment either during school or in repayment. After choosing the reason for deferring payment and the end date, borrowers are provided with the amount of interest that will accrue and the total increase in the amount they will repay over the life of loan. Borrower Web Site Interest Capitalization Estimator

32 Key Features Borrowers are explained their rights and responsibilities as a Direct Loan borrower through online counseling. In order to successfully complete a session, borrowers must pass a quiz. Before their loans are disbursed students take Entrance Counseling. Borrower Web Site Online Entrance Counseling

33 Key Features Borrowers are explained their rights and responsibilities as Direct Loan borrowers through online counseling. In order to successfully complete a session, borrowers must pass a quiz. Borrower can change their repayment plan, due date, enroll in EDA, and update address information. After borrowers separate from school, they take Exit Counseling online before they go into repayment. Borrower Web Site Online Exit Counseling

34 School Services Support School Report Statistics –208 schools subscribe to Exit Counseling Reports –313 schools subscribe to a Entrance Counseling Reports –194 schools subscribe to a monthly Delinquency Summary Report School Services Call Center Statistics –Roughly 75% of all Direct Loan School Services calls are request for student account information –The remainder of calls are questions regarding web site information, school reports or general program questions.

35 Reporting Tools Exit & Entrance Counseling Reports Identify students who have completed Counseling Online Delinquency Reports Detail, Summary, Late Stage Delinquency and Borrower History Subscription Receive notifications when reports are available online Account Lookup View live account data for students Including, balances, account status, separation dates, and more. DL Servicing Resources Web Site Help General Information Contact Us Spanish Version Highly Secure Login through COD School Web Site Homepage

36 Key Features Direct Loan Schools may subscribe to have reports on their student activity sent to them regularly. Reports with personal borrower information are sent via secure connections to ensure privacy of borrower information. School Web Site Report Subscription

37 Key Features Direct Loan Schools may look up borrower information in the Direct Loan Servicing System. School financial aid officers can view repayment estimates for students. These tools provide schools with the ability to better counsel their students about their Direct Loans. School Web Site Student Account Lookup Click here to see Repayment Estimates

38 School Web Site Reporting

39 Real time access to results Electronic Report Delivery with frequency determined by school – daily, weekly or monthly Ability to export data into format of school choice School Web Site Entrance and Exit Counseling

40 Key Features Online Delinquency Reports allow Direct Loan Schools to track their delinquency rates and identify borrowers who are delinquent in making payments. FSA is working with schools to utilize online delinquency reporting to lower their cohort default rates. School Web Site Delinquency Reports

41 Students  Borrower Web Chat – Allows borrowers to securely chat with CSRs during normal business hours though the web site.  eMinders – Ability for a borrower to subscribe to alerts when certain events happen on their account. Payment posted, forbearance or deferment form received. Direct Loan Servicing Tomorrow

42 Borrower Web Site New Look –n- Feel

43 Cindy Battle (202) School Services (888) Direct Loan Servicing Center (800) Questions… Contact Us…