Programs to repay student loans target unemployed grads

— -- New public, private and college-based programs are targeting a grim and growing market: unemployed college graduates who can't afford to repay their student loans.

This week, BridgeSpan Financial, a start-up based in Washington, D.C., introduced SafeStart, a product designed to protect borrowers from the risk of defaulting on their loans. For an upfront payment of $40 to $60 per $1,000 of student debt, SafeStart will provide an interest-free line of credit that borrowers can use to repay federal student loans for up to five years after graduation.

To tap the line of credit, the graduate must be unemployed or have loan payments that exceed 10% of income. Once the borrower's circumstances improve, the individual has up to five years to repay the interest-free loan.

Currently, borrowers with federal student loans who are experiencing economic hardship can postpone payments for a specific period of time by applying for deferment or forbearance. But depending on the type of loan, interest may accrue during that period, leaving borrowers even deeper in debt, says Carlo Salerno, a principal for BridgeSpan.

Also targeting cash-strapped borrowers:

•Bellevue University, a private university in Nebraska that primarily enrolls adult students, says students who are laid off can have tuition, fees and loan obligations deferred for up to six months.

The program is designed to prevent laid-off students from dropping out or taking on more debt, says Scott Klene, senior director of student financial services.

•A new government program allows borrowers with federal student loans to sign up for a repayment plan that caps payments based on their income. About 8,700 borrowers who have loans through the federal Direct Loan program have applied since the program's July 1 launch, the Department of Education says.

Most borrowers who qualify for the program won't have to spend more than 10% of their income on loan payments. Borrowers whose income falls below 150% of the poverty level won't have to make any payments, says Lauren Asher, acting president of the Project on Student Debt.