Department of Education August 14, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Secretary invites guaranty agencies with agreements to participate in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program to submit requests to enter into a Voluntary Flexible Agreement (VFA) with the Secretary, as authorized by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). Guaranty agencies whose requests are accepted will operate under the requirements of the VFA in lieu of the guaranty agency agreements established under the HEA. The Secretary intends to enter into VFAs with a small number of guaranty agencies (likely three or fewer) that will assume responsibility for all or some of the defaulted and non-defaulted FFEL Program loans transferred to it by the Secretary from a guaranty agency whose HEA agreements with the Secretary are, or will be, terminated. Those agencies will continue to operate under their existing guaranty agency agreements, established under the HEA, for their own FFEL Program Loan portfolios.