I just got a letter in the mail from these guys offering a loan of up to $30,000 for college stuff, based on credit. I want to know if they are legit? Do they really ever do the whole $30,000? What interest are we REALLY talking? Who do they pull? Any other info you care to share.

Interest rates on alt loans are usually tied to credit. If you get pre-approved, they can tell you what your rate is. They usually don't do it before they pull credit. Alt loan qualifications seem to be a closely guarded secret.

As for the $30k, it is usually based on the school's cost of attendance. So if your program (tuition/fees/dorm/misc) costs $10k a year, you will only be eligible for the $10k (minus any other aid). Legit alt loan lenders usually ask the school to certify to the lender that you are enrolled and eligible for the loan.