May 12, 2009

Who's Who at OGSLP?

Name: Letha Huddleston
Department: Early Assistance/Default Prevention
Title: Early Assistance Specialist
Tenure with OGSLP: 1 year, 9 months

How do your daily duties directly impact OGSLP's customers?
As an Early Assistance Specialist, I contact borrowers who are either about to enter their student loan repayment period or those who appear to be having difficulty making payments. During the six-month grace period, it’s not uncommon for borrowers to misplace the documents they received from their financial aid office, and they often don’t realize the time for making that first payment is approaching. My department offers a friendly reminder about their obligation while giving them the opportunity to explore other options if they’re unable to make their payment. Ultimately, our goal is to see a significant reduction in Oklahoma’s federal student loan cohort default rate, which will benefit all of us.

What advice would you give to someone in our industry who's new to working with student loans?
My advice to anyone working in any part of the student loan process is to take advantage of all available resources because there’s a lot to learn!

I worked for a short time in a financial aid office at a career school and now that I’ve seen the process from start to finish, I’m fully convinced that OGSLP is one of the best resources anyone in the student loan industry could ever use. From our Loan Services Department to our Policy, Compliance and Training Department, OGSLP is filled with knowledgeable people whose objectives are to help our customers succeed and enable the FFELP program to thrive in our state.

What do you find most challenging about working with student loans?
One of the biggest challenges I face as an Early Assistance Specialist is convincing some of our borrowers that I’m on their side. When I first begin a phone conversation, it’s not unusual for a borrower to think I’m a bill collector. It’s very satisfying to turn that assumption around and hear a borrower offer a sincere ‘thank you’ at the end of the call. Borrowers are often unaware of their many alternatives to delinquency and default and I feel fortunate to be able to help them identify the option that’s best for them.

What are some of the unique services your department provides our customers?
The Early Assistance/Default Prevention department helps our school and lender customers lower their cohort default rates by providing one-on-one support to borrowers facing difficulty making their loan payments and a wide variety of free tools and services for schools, including informative flyers for distribution to borrowers, our Default Prevention School Tool, exit counseling support and customized cohort analysis to inform campus planning. A full list of our tools and services can be found in our new default prevention brochure.

What are your hobbies or interests?
I love singing alto in my church choir and I love to cook. I enjoy taking day trips and vacations with my husband, Ken, and when I can find the time, I do cross stitch or curl up with a good book. I have two children who were both married within the past six months and very soon I will discover the joy of being a grandparent! I have a feeling that sometime in September, that tiny bundle will be the most interesting thing of all.