Finished rehab, now seeking to consolidate. I filled out one application on line and now am bombarded with offers. Are all consolidators equal? What questions should I ask to find the right one (I am really just interested in lowering my interest rate - currently 9%)

Who have you done an application with??? What type of loan do you have with a 9% interest rate?? Those are very rare ...must be an old loan.

You cannot lower your base interest rate. Consolidation interest rates are a weighted average of what you are currently paying. You can get back end perks like 1/4% off for auto drafts and on time payments.

next student,and financial aid.com. I guess it doesn't matter who I use?

Those are servicers, not loan types. Stafford, sub and unsub, Plus Loan...these are loan types.

I do not recommend any of the back end lenders that advertise all over the web. They offer perks and then bingo!, six months down the road they sell your loan off and you loose your perk.

I usually recommend Direct Loans thru the DOE. They have the most options, particularly if you have a high balance/low income. DL is the only company that offers Income Contingent Repayment....all the other FFELP lenders only offer Income Sensative.

stafford sub is my loan. Current holder is connecticut.

These loans must be old cause interest rates of staffords have been capped at no higher than 8.25% since 1995.

Danger will Robinson! Ask at your school, and your current lender what they suggest, and make sure you have every single detail of whom you go with. Google 'lendor sucks' on google, and look for one that is reputable without crazy horror stories.

This is not a lightly made decision.

Something I just noticed: the current max interest rate on FFELP consolidation loans is 8.25%, so even if the u/l loan is 9% the consolidation loan would have a max rate of 8.25%. As far as who to consolidate with, I would look at either Direct Loans or ask the state guarantee agency that holds your loans if they have a lender they recommend for borrowers in yoru state.

The standard incentives are .25% interest rate reduction for EFT/ACH payments and 1% int rt reduction after making the 1st 36 payments on time.