Sallie Mae Celebrates Independence Day with the Launch of New Online Resources to Help Military Families Successfully Manage Student Loans

Sallie Mae, the nation’s No. 1 financial services company specializing in education, today announced new web-based resources to serve active duty service members and veterans. The resource is available just one week before the Fourth of July holiday, as American families celebrate our nation’s independence and those who served and currently serve our country.

“The customer representatives at Sallie Mae have been so helpful,” said Vicki Tinnel, the wife of a deployed U.S. Navy sailor. “It’s nice to receive the unique support we need as a military family. It’s refreshing.”

The new online resource center provides service members tools and information about managing federal and private student loans they may need on active duty or during deployment. The resources include:

• A list of special military benefits and repayment options
• A deployment checklist to help manage student loans
• Options for making student loan payments
• Forms for service members
• Military FAQs

The online center is available at SallieMae.com/military. It is the latest resource available from Sallie Mae to provide specialized assistance for military personnel and veterans.

“We join all Americans as we celebrate our freedoms and the men and women in uniform who protect them,” said Mike Maier, senior vice president, Sallie Mae, and U.S. Navy veteran. “At Sallie Mae, we also have an obligation to ensure our military members are able to meet their financial obligations while serving our country. These new online resources will provide them with the information they need to make student loan management quick and easy.”

In Nov. 2012, Sallie Mae created a dedicated customer service team for military members and their families staffed by professionals with specialized training on the Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act and other military matters. Since service members may be far from home, incurring extra expenses due to deployment, or have infrequent access to a computer or phone, the team works with customers to provide extra assistance and flexibility as they repay their student loans.

The service member customer assistance team can be reached at 888-272-5543, available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, backed up by 24/7 automated phone support. Sallie Mae has also designated 001-888-272-5543 (toll-free) or 001-317-570-7397 for customers who are overseas. Or, they can email the team at MilitaryBenefits@salliemae.com.

The military customer assistance team has received more than 28,000 calls.

In addition, Sallie Mae has done its part to recruit service members and veterans for jobs. The company joined an alliance with other major corporate employers to commit to hire 100,000 military and veterans by 2020.

Join the conversation on how to save, plan and pay for college at Facebook.com/SallieMae.

Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nation’s No. 1 financial services company specializing in education. Celebrating 40 years of making a difference, Sallie Mae continues to turn education dreams into reality for American families, today serving 25 million customers. With products and services that include 529 college savings plans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search and planning tools, education loans, insurance, and online banking, Sallie Mae offers solutions that help families save, plan, and pay for college. Sallie Mae also provides financial services to hundreds of college campuses as well as to federal and state governments. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.