Granite State Management and Resources

The US Department of Education provides borrowers with loans but they employ a third-party service to handle the repayment and collection. Granite State Student Loans, also known as Granite State Management and Resource is one of these third-party servicers and is a non-profit agency that services both federal and private loans.

They are a part of the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation Network, but service loans from several borrowers all across the country. GSM & R was established back in 1986 and have a clear cut goal on helping their borrowers successfully manage their student loans.

In this article, we will cover all aspects of Granite student loans and help you get the best of what they offer.

Table of Contents

• Reviews
• What does GSM&R do with student loans
• How do they help borrowers
• Eligibility and login
• Loan forgiveness
• Get the best from GSM&R
• Complaints
• How do I contact them

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Granite State Management and Resources (GSM&R) Reviews 

Most of the reviews are negative and one reviewer mentioned that the company had failed to process a valid deferment and provided inaccurate information about the status of the deferment.

Another customer complained that their account was reopened two years after paying off all their debts.

There have also been several complaints on the customer service saying that the customer had not heard back from them after complaining that a current deferment had a changed end date.

If this happens to you, you might end up wanting to switch between your lenders. Know more about switching between your federal servicers.

You can also choose to refinance your student loan with a private lender. Find the best companies that refinance your student loans.

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What do Granite State Management & Resources do with student loans? 

They are in charge of administering the monthly repayments and acts as a customer service contact to help clear any queries regarding the payments. They also employ loan agents who are specialized in a certain loan type to help provide expert advice with related queries.

Reporting and applications

They take up the responsibility of reporting the status of your repayment with credit bureaus and if the borrower faces any problem in making a scheduled payment they help with the application for forbearance and deferment. Learn more about forbearance and deferment.

Besides, if you face any other problems to pay they can give you valuable insights with the help of experts and also come up with an adjusted repayment plan. All you have to do is get in touch with them and be transparent with your financial situation.

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How does GSM&R help borrowers?

If you thought that applying and getting a student loan was complicated wait till you have to start paying them back. But for borrowers who are getting their loans serviced with GSM&R their process of paying back is simplified.

Online presence 

With the online system offered by Granite student loans, the borrowers can easily go ahead to make payments and can also apply for forbearance and deferments online. The application can be completed 24/7 as per the borrower's convenience.

Repayment plans

They offer income-driven and general repayment plans, and each plan has its features and eligibility. It is better to use the repayment calculator to help determine which is the best repayment plan for you by calculating the amount you will have to shell out each month - www.gsmr.org/calculators.asp

The calculator can help you in setting up a better spending plan and can help in forecasting as well. Additional payments are inevitable and the calculator helps you understand the impact this has on your payment plan.

General repayment plans 

Here is a list of the general payment plans offered by Granite Student Management & Resources

1. Standard repayment up to 10 years - Compared to other plans you will pay lesser interest on your loans over time

2. Graduated repayment up to 10 years - This plan would work best if you expect your income to increase over time.

3. Extended repayment up to 25 years - You will pay lower monthly as compared to standard repayment plan but the amount you spend over the time of your loan is higher.

4. Income sensitive repayment plan up to 10 years - Your monthly payment is based on your income and you’ll pay more for your loan over time than you would under the standard 10-year repayment plan.

Income-Driven Repayment Plan 

1. Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Plan - To qualify for this plan, you would need your calculated monthly payment to be less than the payment you would have to make under the standard repayment plan.

2. Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Plan - There is no income requirement for this plan, you will have to pay more for your loan over time as compared to the standard repayment plan.

3. Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) Plan - There is no income requirement for this plan, you will have to pay more for your loan over time as compared to the standard repayment plan.

4. Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan - After making the equivalent of 25 years of qualifying payments you can get your loans forgiven. You may have to pay income tax on the amount that is forgiven.

   Learn more about Income-driven repayment plans such as IBR, PAYE, REPAYE, and ICR.

Repayment Options 

Granite State Management  offers several ways for you to repay your loans, here is an overview of the options available:

1) Automatic Debit - Here your monthly payments are automatically deducted each month from your bank account. You can sign up for this payment option using your online account.

2) Manage My Account (MMA) Payments - This is considered one of the easiest ways to make a payment and if the payment is made before 4 pm it will be processed on the same day, else it will be processed on the next day.

3) Online Bill Pay - Here you can use your bank's online payment option to make payments to Granite student loans. There are two different addresses you can make your payments to depending upon your account number. There are two types of accounts, one starting with C7 and other with F8.

4) Phone Payments - Granite student loan has an automated phone service allowing you to make payments at any time. There are phone numbers based on the account number.

Accounts starting with C7: 800-719-0708   

Accounts starting with F8: 888-556-0022

5) In-Person - You can make payments in person if you are in New Hampshire by dropping them off at the mailbox outside the concord office - Granite State Management & Resources,3 Barrell CourtConcord, NH03301-8543

6) Mail Payments - You can mail payments based on your account number and the type of payment. Here are the details:

Regular payments with accounts starting with C7 - 

Granite State Management & Resources

P.O. Box 9560,Manchester

NH 03108-9560

Regular payments with accounts starting with F8 -

 US Department of Education

 P.O. Box 105291,Atlanta

 GA 30348-5291

Defaulted payments with accounts starting with C7 -

Granite State Management & Resources

P.O. Box 877,Concord

NH 03302-0877

Defaulted payments with accounts starting with F8 -

US Department of Education

P.O. Box 5609, Greenville

TX 75403-5609

Refinancing

You can refinance your student loans with a private lender but it should be kept in mind that if you refinance your loans then you lose out on a number of benefits like eligibility for forgiveness programs etc.

When you refinance you can get a new loan with a new term, rate, and servicer.

Learn more about refinancing your student loans.

If you would like to stay within the NHHEAF network it would be advisable to refinance with EdvestinU. Read our review of EdvestinU.

Early payments 

They give you the freedom to make payments ahead of time with no penalty. With most loan servicers you are supposed to stick to the schedule of the payment plan but this prepay option is what makes Granite student loans more flexible.

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Who is eligible?

Eligibility would be viewed from a lender's perspective rather than a loan servicer. The role of a loan servicer is to collect payments after the loan has been issued.

The lender, on the other hand, takes the borrower's major, credit history, and other factors into account. Once the borrower is approved by the lender for a loan he/she is assigned a loan servicer.

If you haven't heard or you don’t know who your loan servicer is, then check your latest loan statement or look at your credit report.

How to sign up?

Here are a few simple steps to set up your account -

1. Click on ‘sign up now’ at www.gsmr.org.

2. Enter your email, social security number, and address.

3. Create a username and password.

4. You will then go through a security section to ensure than your account is protected.

5. Confirm and then you can continue with your newly created account.

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Loan forgiveness

Under the federal student loans, loan forgiveness and loan discharge are provided for certain categories as followed below.

Loan forgiveness for teachers, Public service, Temporary expanded public service loan forgiveness.

For Loan forgiveness for teachers: Teachers are eligible for loan forgiveness for the amount 175000 and above. But you are eligible only if you have worked consecutively for 5 years with low income in an elementary school.

Loan forgiveness for Public servicer: If you work in the public sector, you are eligible for PSLF. The remaining balance of Direct loans after 10 years after consecutive repayments are forgiven.

Temporary expanded public service loan forgiveness: If an application for PSLF is denied you can apply for TEPSLF. You will be qualified for this loan again for your consecutive repayments. But take a note that Temporary expanded public service loan forgiveness is a temporary solution. It is given on a first come first serve basis. So if you are late to apply for TEPSLF, chances are you may not get it, if the funds run out.

Under medical conditions like physical or mental deterioration for more than 60 months, your loans can be discharged.

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Get the best from GSM&R

Although most of the reviews have been negative here is what you can watch out for to get the best service for the granite student loans.

1. Errors on credit reports -  This has been one of the most common complaints saying that they aren’t reporting the credit properly and this is hurting the borrower's credit scores. To help avoid this, sign up for credit alerts and check your credit reports regularly and contact GSM&R if any irregularities occur.

2. Complications during the deferment application process - There have been complaints about the difficulty of applying for deferment, being rejected for no reason and most commonly people claimed that their deferment was cut short.

The best way to avoid these complications is to regularly check your account while your loan is being deferred and you can also reach out to a live representative as emails are easier to ignore.

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Raising complaints and choosing a different service provider

GSMR Student Loan has negative feedback from its customers considering the records found in the protection bureau. Their complaints were regarding the incapability of handling loan payments, inefficient customer service, and not provide proper information regarding their loan details. Therefore having B rating in the business bureau.

You can choose a new servicer by consolidating your loans. By doing so you can manage your payments with lower interest and also by choosing the service provider of your own. Fill the application in federal student aid. Enter the loans to consolidate and your choice of repayment plans. Before you pick the loan servicer to make a thorough study to pick the best.

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                                                         Worried about school fees? Learn about student loans

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How do I contact them?

Based on your account number you can contact them, it should be noted that no payments must be sent to the address mentioned for mail.

Account number begins with F8 

Call: 888-556-0022

Make payments: online or at - 

Department of Education
P.O. Box 4414
Portland, OR 97208-4414

Mail: 

Granite State Management & Resources
P.O. Box 3420
Concord, NH 03302-3420 

Fax: 603-227-5415

Account number begins with C7 

Call: 800-719-0708

Make payments: online or at - 

Granite State Management & Resources
P.O. Box 9560
Manchester, NH 03108-9560

Mail:

Granite State Management & Resources
P.O. Box 2097
Concord, NH 03302-2097 

Fax: 603-227-5401

Visit GSM&R:

If you want to visit GSM&R in person you can visit their office at:

Office address- 3 Barrell Court, Concord, NH 03301 

They have working hours from Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4*30 PM EST

Dropbox - 

After 5 PM EST
3 Barrell Court, Concord, NH 03301

School Contact Information 

If you are a school financial aid professional and require information for loans currently in repayment, contact:

Telephone -  800.303.8353, Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM EST

Fax - 603.227.5441