President Obama has signed an Executive Order affecting approximately 5 million student loan borrowers. It primarily affects two groups of borrowers: Those with federal direct loans who borrowed before October 2007 and; Those who have not borrowed since October 2011. Payments will be capped at 10% of the borrower’s monthly income. As of the date of this writing, it is not known if this applies to a borrower’s gross pay or take-home pay. The cap is hoped to be available to these borrowers by December 2015. This new repayment cap is an addition to other repayment plans based on income, such as the Income-Based, Income-Contingent, Income-Sensitive, and Pay As You Earn repayment programs. Student loan defaults and high monthly payments continue to be growing concerns in America. While these repayment options are available for various federal loans, they are not available for private student loans. This Executive Order does not…
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