Title 20 › Chapter 28— HIGHER EDUCATION RESOURCES AND STUDENT ASSISTANCE › Subchapter IV— STUDENT ASSISTANCE › Part B— Federal Family Education Loan Program › § 1072
The Education Secretary can lend federal money to states and to approved nonprofit groups to build or strengthen the reserve funds used to insure student loans. Money can go to a state with an agreement to run a loan-insurance program or, if a state won’t have such a program that year, to one or more nonprofit organizations so students in that state can join a program. After June 30, 1968, any advance must be matched dollar-for-dollar by non‑federal money (including certain unspent state reserve amounts calculated by law). The Secretary sets the loan terms and repayment schedule. One pool of funds is split among states by the share of each state’s population aged 18–22, with at least $25,000 for each state; another pool gives each eligible state an advance equal to 10% of the principal of loans whose first principal payment became due in the prior fiscal year, reduced by earlier advances and unspent balances and subject to rules if funds are insufficient (including cuts of amounts over $50,000 first). Nonprofit recipients must keep a local office to serve students, not deny insurance by school choice, and not be a school. The law also lets the Secretary advance money to guaranty agencies to act as lender-of-last-resort or to help an agency meet cash needs during takeover or termination. Repayments go into the federal fund and the Secretary had to recover $75,000,000 in fiscal year 1988 and $35,000,000 in fiscal year 1989, taking agency solvency and state-law reserve requirements into account. Agencies that had claim reimbursements withheld between September 1, 1988 and December 31, 1989 may get reimbursements if an audit shows earlier errors and the audit is provided by January 1, 1993; certain agencies meeting appeal and insolvency conditions must be paid within 30 days after July 23, 1992. The Secretary may treat guaranty agencies’ reserve funds and assets as federal property for program use, can require return of unneeded amounts, stop improper spending, and cancel contracts that impermissibly shift funds. The Secretary must recall $1,000,000,000 from agency reserves held on September 1, 2002, using each agency’s 1996 reserve position to set shares and steps that first recover amounts above a 2.0% reserve ratio, then reduce reserves but not below 0.58%, and require transfers into restricted accounts in 1998–2002 (usually five equal yearly payments, with a 4‑year option for agencies at or below 1.10%). The Secretary must also recall specified amounts from Federal Student Loan Reserve Funds: $85,000,000 in FY2002 and $82,500,000 in each of FY2006 and FY2007, allocated as equal percentage reductions based on reserve levels on September 30, 1996, with protections so agencies that charge a 1.0% premium keep at least 90 days’ worth of recent lender claim payments. Defined terms (one line each): Default reduction activities — programs to lower student loan defaults (counseling, partial cancellations, job help, public info). Reserve funds — cash or liquid assets held by guaranty agencies (not buildings or equipment).
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Citation
20 U.S.C. § 1072
Title 20 — Education
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60