Citizens lowers Chewy stock price target on valuation, keeps buy
$180 Billion in Student Loans Are Now in Default, New Federal Data Shows
$180 Billion in Student Loans Are Now in Default, New Federal Data Shows
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Citizens lowers Chewy stock price target on valuation, keeps buy
Free Baja Blast When a 420ft+ Home Run Is Hit
The Offer
Direct link to offer
- Get a free Baja blast (2ooz) the following day after a 420ft+ home run is hit in the MLB.
- Up to $4 at participating retailers
- Up to $10 at MLB stadiums
The Fine Print
- If at least one 420+ ft MLB home run is hit on a certain day, offer is redeemable for ONE (1) free 20oz Mountain Dew® Baja Product the following day (valid for 24-hour period) for up to $10.00 in value at qualifying MLB stadiums or up to $4.00 in value at participating retailers in the United States.
- If multiple home runs are hit on any given day, only ONE (1) free 20oz offer can be redeemed the following day.
- Limit of FIVE (5) free 20oz offers subject to the limit stated per day.
- Program ends the earlier of 9/27/26 or when 500,000 redemptions have been reached, whichever occurs first.
- Consumer pays tax/deposit on free product.
Our Verdict
You do have to pay the tax/deposit fees but no purchase is necessary. Think like 15% of home runs are 420ft+ so should be plenty of opportunities to do this. Free is free.
Fannie Mae’s New Risk Assessment Model
One of the most significant recent changes is Fannie Mae’s updated risk credit level assessment within Desktop Underwriter® (DU). This new framework is now in effect and represents a major shift in how loan risk is evaluated across the industry.
FICO Scores Are No Longer Part of the Underwriting Overall Risk Assessment
Prior, FICO scores played a crucial role in underwriting risk analysis. That is no longer the case.
With the new model:
- FICO scores are not used in underwriting risk assessment.
- Borrowers with high credit scores could see unexpected findings if other factors increase their overall risk.
- Borrowers with lower credit scores may actually receive approvals when their broader profile shows strong compensating factors.
High FICO ≠ Guaranteed Approval
Under the new rules, a high credit score alone does not ensure approval.
Scenarios that may trigger increased risk even for high-FICO borrowers include:
- High debt-to-income ratios
- Limited reserves
- Short employment histories
- Overextended real estate portfolios
- Weak income stability
- High number of financed properties
This makes pre-review and strategic structuring more critical than ever, something MortgageDepot excels at.
Low FICO Borrowers May Benefit
Here’s the positive twist:
Borrowers with lower credit scores who may have struggled under the previous system now have a real opportunity to qualify if their overall financial risk is low.
Examples of positive risk factors include:
- Strong assets or reserves
- Low DTI
- Consistent employment
- Stable income
- Minimal real estate exposure
- Clean payment history
Significant Change for Real Estate Investors: The 720 FICO Rule Is Gone
Perhaps the most impactful update for real estate investors:
Fannie Mae’s 720 FICO score requirement for borrowers financing 7 or more properties is no longer applicable.
This is Positive for Our Borrowers
As guidelines shift, experience matters. This new assessment model rewards borrowers with firm overall profiles, but it also requires a lender partner who understands:
- How Underwriting interprets layered risk
- How to properly structure a file under the new system
- How to highlight compensating factors
- How to avoid Underwriting pitfalls that didn’t exist before
Contact us to review your scenario.
PSLF Strategy in 2026: New Employer Rule, RAP Plan, and Parent PLUS Changes
Key Points
- The SAVE Plan is ending. Borrowers pursuing PSLF should switch to IBR or another qualifying income-driven plan ASAP. The RAP plan launches July 1, 2026, and will be the only option for new loans.
- New Parent PLUS borrowers won’t have a PSLF pathway. Existing borrowers must consolidate by June 30, 2026 to maintain PSLF eligibility.
- A new employer eligibility rule takes effect July 1, 2026. The Department of Education can revoke PSLF eligibility for employers found to have a “substantial illegal purpose,” though fewer than 10 per year are expected to be impacted.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness remains one of the best student loan forgiveness programs for federal student loan borrowers working in government or at qualifying nonprofits.
The core program hasn’t changed: you still need to hit four requirements to get your loans forgiven. But the rules around those requirements are shifting in 2026, and if you’re actively pursuing PSLF, you need to understand what’s different.
Here are the four pillars of PSLF eligibility and what’s changing with each.
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1. You Must Have Direct Loans
Only federal Direct Loans qualify for PSLF. If you have older FFEL or Perkins loans, you’ll need to consolidate them into a Direct Consolidation Loan before any payments count. This requirement hasn’t changed, and there’s no indication it will.
The one thing to keep in mind: if you consolidate, your payment count may reset. So if you’ve already been making qualifying payments on Direct Loans, don’t consolidate those — only consolidate the non-Direct loans.
Remember, if you do consolidate existing Direct Loans with a PSLF payment count, your new loan will have a weighted PSLF average.
2. You Must Be On An Eligible Repayment Plan
This is where the biggest changes are happening in 2026. Here’s the short version: income-driven repayment plans are changing, and you need to be on an eligible plan.
The SAVE Plan is dead. Borrowers in SAVE forbearance are not currently able to make qualifying PSLF payments, and time spent in forbearance doesn’t directly count for PSLF. If you’re on SAVE, you need to switch to an alternative income-driven repayment plan as soon as possible to resume earning credit toward forgiveness.
Yes, PSLF buyback is an option, but not necessarily a financially savvy option.
A new plan called RAP (Repayment Assistance Plan) launches July 1, 2026. RAP will be the only income-driven plan available for loans disbursed on or after that date. It calculates payments at 1–10% of your adjusted gross income (not discretionary income like IBR), requires a minimum $10 monthly payment, and offers forgiveness after 30 years. Payments under RAP do count toward PSLF.
For existing borrowers: IBR remains available for loans disbursed before July 2026 as long as you don’t consolidate or take out a new loan.
PAYE and ICR are being phased out and will end by June 30, 2028. Our last insight was that borrowers in these plans will likely need to choose a new plan in fall 2027 or early 2028.
The 10-year Standard Repayment Plan also qualifies for PSLF, but since it’s designed to pay off your loans in exactly 10 years, there’s typically nothing left to forgive.
The bottom line: If you’re currently pursuing PSLF, confirm you’re on IBR, PAYE, ICR or RAP — not SAVE. If you’re taking out new loans after July 2026, RAP will be your path.
Parent PLUS Loans Are Losing Their PSLF Pathway
This deserves its own section because it’s a major change that’s easy to miss. PSLF itself isn’t changing, but Parent PLUS borrowers lose access to an eligible repayment plan.
Currently, Parent PLUS borrowers can consolidate into a Direct Consolidation Loan and then enroll in ICR, which qualifies for PSLF. But ICR is sunsetting by July 1, 2028, and the new RAP plan won’t be available to Parent PLUS loans.
That means new Parent PLUS borrowers after July 1, 2026 will have no income-driven repayment option at all and therefore no path to PSLF.
If you already have Parent PLUS loans, there’s a deadline. You must consolidate into a Direct Consolidation Loan by June 30, 2026, and enroll in ICR. After making at least one qualifying ICR payment, you can switch to IBR before ICR sunsets in 2028.
Note: To complete the consolidation by June 30, 2026, it’s recommended you start the process no later than March 31, 2026.
If you miss this window, you’ll be stuck on standard repayment with no forgiveness pathway.
3. You Must Work For An Eligible Employer
To receive PSLF, you must work for an eligible employer. This core requirement hasn’t changed.
Qualifying employment means working full-time for a government organization (federal, state, local, or tribal) or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. You must also average 30 hours per week (be considered full time).
What’s new: the “substantial illegal purpose” rule takes effect July 1, 2026. Under this rule, the Department of Education can revoke PSLF eligibility for any employer (including universities and nonprofits) found to have a “substantial illegal purpose.”
The rule lists examples like aiding violations of federal immigration laws, supporting terrorism, certain medical procedures involving minors in violation of law, trafficking, and repeated violations of state law.
The Department estimates fewer than 10 employers per year will be disqualified. A disqualified employer loses eligibility.
What this means for you: For the vast majority of borrowers, this won’t change anything. But if you work for an organization that could be politically targeted under this rule, it’s worth monitoring.
It’s also important to note that past qualifying payments can’t be revoked. Your employer would only be disqualified in the future. So you would know in advance and have time to change employers if you desire.
4. You Must Make And Certify 120 Qualifying Payments
You need 120 qualifying monthly payments (10 years’ worth) made while working full-time for an eligible employer and enrolled in an eligible repayment plan. Payments don’t need to be consecutive.
Submit your PSLF form at least annually and every time you change employers. This certifies your employment and tracks your payment count. Don’t wait until you hit 120 payments to submit for the first time, annual certification helps catch errors early and keeps your count accurate. You can monitor your green banners in your StudentAid account.
After 120 certified qualifying payments, you submit the PSLF form one final time to request forgiveness. Any remaining balance is forgiven tax-free.
Key Takeaways
If you’re on the SAVE Plan: Switch to IBR or another qualifying income-driven plan immediately. Time on SAVE is not counting toward PSLF right now. You’re wasting time (and potentially money) by waiting.
If you have Parent PLUS loans: Consolidate into a Direct Consolidation Loan and enroll in ICR before June 30, 2026. Then plan to switch to IBR before ICR sunsets in 2028.
If you’re taking out new loans after July 2026: RAP will be your only income-driven option to qualify for PSLF.
Don’t Miss These Other Stories:
SAVE Student Loan Plan Officially Ended By Court Order
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Strategic Default On Student Loans: It Always Backfires
Strategic Default On Student Loans: It Always Backfires
Editor: Colin Graves
The post PSLF Strategy in 2026: New Employer Rule, RAP Plan, and Parent PLUS Changes appeared first on The College Investor.
The White House snubs Elon Musk’s offer to cover TSA salaries as airport miseries hit record levels
The White House has rejected an offer from Elon Musk to personally fund TSA workers’ salaries during the partial government shutdown that has thrown airport security into chaos across the country, Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson told Fortune.
Musk floated the proposal publicly on March 21, posting on X that he wanted “to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country.” The post drew more than 91 million views.
“We greatly appreciate Elon’s generous offer,” Jackson wrote in an email to Fortune. “This would pose great legal challenges due to his involvement with federal government contracts.”
Jackson also said that the fastest way to ensure TSA employees get paid would be for “Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security.”
Meanwhile the airport crisis deepens. The Transportation Security Administration said Wednesday that wait times have hit the worst levels in the agency’s history, with some passengers waiting more than four and a half hours to clear security. Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told a House Homeland Security Committee hearing that TSA has lost more than 480 transportation security officers since the funding lapse began on Feb. 14, now roughly 40 days ago.
At some major airports, 40% to 50% of officers have called out on certain days, forcing the agency to consolidate screening lanes and scale back operations, according to Bloomberg. Atlanta, Houston, and New York have been among the hardest hit. Videos posted to social media showed lines at LaGuardia Airport snaking through terminals and into baggage claim areas early Wednesday morning.
The administration has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports to help manage the crush, a move that has drawn bipartisan scrutiny. McNeill said ICE personnel are handling “non-specialized screening functions” like travel document checkpoints, while TSA officers focus on core security duties.
And the shutdown remains deadlocked in Washington. Senate Republicans rejected a Democratic proposal to end the partial shutdown, with Majority Leader John Thune dismissing it as a list of demands including changes to immigration enforcement operations. Democrats have pushed for reforms scaling back ICE’s operations following several violent incidents that left civilians dead.
Representatives for Musk did not respond to a request for comment.
The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit. Apply here.
BTS comeback concert drew 18.4M global viewers says Netflix, as attendance figures spark debate
Netflix has revealed its March 21 livestream of BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG from Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul attracted 18.4 million global viewers.
The official number is far lower than the 300 million figure reported by UK outlets, including The Times and The Telegraph, earlier this week. Neither outlet cited a source for the claim, although it may have been derived from Netflix’s subscriber count, which stood at 325 million at the end of 2025.
The concert saw all seven members of the superstar group — RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook — perform together for the first time since 2022 after completing mandatory military service.
The 12-song setlist included tracks from BTS’s fifth studio album, ARIRANG, which dropped on March 20.
According to Netflix, which says that its total viewership estimates are derived from first-party data (Live+1), the live broadcast reached its weekly Top 10 in 80 countries and secured the #1 spot in 24 of them.
It added that, to date, the campaign has reached 2.62 billion global social impressions across Netflix channels, while numerous hashtags related to BTS and Netflix “trended worldwide.”
Netflix says the figures prove the group’s influence “has only intensified during their time apart.”
The streamer has escalated its investment in premium music-related content in recent months, launching Harry Styles’ One Night in Manchester on the service on March 8.
Last November, the platform released ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran, a one-take music special that followed the singer-songwriter through the streets of New York City performing his biggest hits.
Separately, the company confirmed an “exclusive multi-year first-look deal” with Warner Music Group (WMG) last Friday (March 20). Under the creative partnership, the companies say the streamer will develop “documentary series and films exploring the lives, music and legacies of WMG’s legendary and contemporary artists and songwriters.”
Meanwhile, shares in HYBE, the company behind BTS, fell to an over three-month low on Monday (March 23) amid a broad sell-off in Korean equities and after the band’s heavily promoted live comeback drew a smaller crowd than authorities had initially expected.
As reported by The Korea Times, at the end of the trading day on Monday in Seoul, shares had fallen 15% to KRW 290,500, the lowest level since early December. At press time, they had rebounded to KRW 304,500.
The free outdoor concert had a ticketed capacity of around 22,000, with overflow crowds watching on large screens in the surrounding area, according to the BBC.
HYBE said the event attracted 104,000 fans in total – far lower than the 260,000 that police had initially projected.
However, The Chosun reports that the relevant authorities presented wildly differing attendance numbers: Seoul City (48,000), the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (62,000), and the police (80,000).
The publication explains that the discrepancy stems from differences in counting methods. Seoul City’s 48,000 figure was derived from real-time urban data sourced solely from domestic telecom networks, excluding foreign attendees on roaming or overseas SIMs.
The city also restricted its estimate to Gwanghwamun Square itself, while police included nearby areas where fans gathered to watch the live broadcast, and the interior ministry used aggregated base-station data that included people inside buildings.
HYBE told the AFP that the 104,000 figure accounted for mobile connections across all three major Korean carriers, as well as foreign visitors and budget phone users — essentially measuring cumulative foot traffic rather than a single snapshot.
BTS dropped their first studio album in six years last Friday (March 20), breaking records across major streaming platforms.
Arirang pulled in over 110 million streams on Spotify in its first 24 hours, breaking the record for the most-streamed K-pop album in Spotify history and the most-streamed album in a single day this year, according to the platform.
Big Hit Music said Arirang also sold 3.98 million copies on its first day of release, citing local album sales tracker Hanteo Chart. The figure surpasses BTS’s previous first-week record of 3.37 million copies set by Map of the Soul: 7 in February 2020 — in a single day rather than a full week.
Netflix premieres companion documentary BTS: THE RETURN, which chronicles the creation of the album and the group’s reunion, this Friday. The film is directed by Bao Nguyen (The Stringer, The Greatest Night in Pop) and produced by This Machine (Martha, Karol G) and HYBE.
“The film offers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the members as they regrouped in the studio to record ARIRANG and prepared for last weekend’s monumental stage,” says Netflix.
News of the Netflix deal followed BTS’s announcement of a world tour beginning April 9 in Goyang, South Korea. The tour, promoted by Live Nation, will span 34 cities with 82 shows across North America, Europe, and Asia. It marks the first large-scale tour for BTS in about four years since BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE.Music Business Worldwide
AmEx Graphite Business Card Review (New Card, $1,500 Offer)
Non-affiliate disclosure: all information about this card has been collected independently by US Credit Card Guide and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
[2026.3 Update] – New card launched.
Application Link
Benefits
- $1,500 offer: earn $1,500 cash back after spending $50,000 in the first 3 months.
- Earn 5% cash back on flights and prepaid hotels booked via AmEx Travel; earn 2% cash back on everything else.
- With this card, you can get access to Amex Offer, which usually offers very good discounts at some stores, such as: spend $15 or more and get $5 back at Walmart; spend $75 or more and get $25 back on Amazon.com.
- This card is very easy to get approved, because it is a charge card, not a credit card. Charge card means that you don’t have an option to make a minimum payment, you have to pay your balance in full on the due date. Charge card applications will also result in a hard credit pull, similar to credit card applications.
- Charge Cards have no pre-set spending limit.
- No foreign transaction fee.
Disadvantages
- $295 annual fee, NOT waived for the first year.
Recommended Application Time
- You can only get the welcome bonus once in a lifetime, so be sure to apply when the historical highest offer appears.
- AmEx doesn’t care about the number of hard pulls.
- You can try to apply for it when you have a credit history of 6 months.
Summary
This card is essentially a very straightforward 2% cashback card. What’s puzzling is that 2% cashback with no annual fee has already become the industry standard—so why did AmEx launch a new 2% cashback card with a $295 annual fee? Comparing it to personal cards isn’t even necessary. Among business cards, both the Chase Ink Premier and Capital One Spark Cash have lower annual fees than this one. The only plausible explanation is that AmEx believes the charge card feature—having no preset spending limit—allows for extremely large spending volume, and that this alone justifies the annual fee. As long as the card’s credit limit isn’t the bottleneck for how many rewards you can earn, there’s really no reason to keep this card long term. Of course, it could still be worth getting for the welcome bonus.
Recommended Downgrade Options
- You can not downgrade this card to any card with no annual fee, so I suggest you close it when you don’t want to keep it any longer.
After Applying
- Click here to check AmEx application status.
- AmEx reconsideration backdoor number: 877-399-3083. The “real” backdoor number of Amex is well protected. Different from Chase, the representatives from this AmEx reconsideration backdoor number only have the right to help you submit requests.
Historical Offers Chart
Application Link
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எது Best Investment..? 📈Stock Market Vs 💰 Mutual Fund 🤔 #shorts
This video breaks down the key differences between the stock market and mutual funds. We’ll explore risk tolerance, investment goals, and level of involvement to help you decide which option is the best fit for YOU.
Watch our full Video:
Key Takeaway:
👉 What is the stock market?
👉 What are mutual funds?
👉 The pros and cons of each approach
👉 Who should invest in stocks vs. mutual funds.
#investing #stocks #mutualfunds #finance #money #financialfreedom #beginnerinvestor #stockmarket #moneyseries #tamilselvan #tamiltech #howtoinvest #retirementplanning #wealthbuilding #mutualfunds #stockvsmutualfund #stockmarketvsmutualfund #risk
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Condo lenders push back on Fannie, Freddie rule changes
The mortgage industry has generally supported Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s more flexible roof insurance requirements for all single-family mortgages, but some condo market stakeholders have questioned certain other changes announced alongside it.
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First flagged by a community lenders group shortly after
“The insurance changes will allow more people to have access to funding for condos. There are, however, other challenges I see. One is the retirement of the limited review,” said Dawn Bauman, CEO of the Community Associations Institute.
Where condo rules are tighter
Bauman said she heard from one large lender that around 40% of their condo loans are done through the limited or streamlined review process, which are the respective names Fannie and Freddie have used for the exception and requests to associations for information could surge as a result of the change.
“By causing all condominium loans to produce the full set of project documents, what you’re effectively doing is causing a huge cohort of buyers and owners to provide them,” said Taylor Stork, chief operating officer at Developer’s Mortgage. “Those documents are not inexpensive.”
However, a source close to the matter said some mortgage industry feedback indicated that “the streamlined review process offered little difference from a full review, as lenders still needed to reach out to HOAs for details on critical repairs and special assessments.”
A second largest concern that Stork, Bauman and some others active in the condo market brought up was related to tighter standards for a building’s financial reserves.
In situations where a reserve study is necessary, an association’s information will have to show it relies on the highest recommended amount rather than using the current baseline approach that allows reserves to approach zero. This requirement also becomes effective Aug. 3.
These studies can come into play when condo reserves don’t meet the GSEs’ minimum 10% requirement. With this requirement increasing to 15% starting Jan. 4, 2027, reserve studies could become more frequently needed in addition to having a higher bar to meet.
“Reserve studies are really expensive and not many homeowners associations do them because they’re cost prohibitive,” said Max Leaman, CEO of LoanPeople, an Austin-based lender.
The GSEs also announced new servicer requirements for monitoring property insurance on condo loans after origination, effective Jan. 1, 2027 that add work. The maximum allowable deductible for unit owners was recently set at the greater of 5% of coverage or $2,500.
Possible motivations behind the changes
While the GSEs aim to support affordable housing in streamlined ways, they also have a responsibility to safeguard loan performance. They’ve found balancing the two tricky
It’s generally agreed that coverage allowing for depreciation in the costs of single-family roof had become a must given that insurers simply weren’t allowing it in some circumstances, but that break on coverage does risk an inability to pay for repairs.
So the GSEs full set of rule changes for condos did aim to tighten on standards aimed at increasing the chances of repayment and ensuring they have a handle on building finances.
Additionally, removing limited reviews ultimately ends an exception process that had put the Sunshine State on an uneven playing field by requiring borrowers there to make far higher payments there to qualify for it than elsewhere, according to Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
After Surfside, lenders increased LTV requirements for limited reviews far above other states.
Donalds said in a press release that he welcomed “decisive action to ensure prospective condo owners in Florida are subject to the same terms and conditions as the rest of the nation.”
Room for compromise?
Stork acknowledged that there are some arguments for ending limited reviews such as data access, but he added that at the time he spoke to this publication, the last responses he’d seen on an informal LinkedIn survey he posted on the topic showed opposition was more common.
He, Bauman and Leaman all separately said they understood the big picture that led to the ending limited reviews and tightening up some condo standards to partly offset the insurance change, but they said they still see reasons to find more of a middle ground.
Bars that are too high could add financial pressures to condos that could hurt not only new borrowers by shutting them out of the market or moving them into the higher-cost
“The combination of no limited review and 15% reserves is a problem, and there should be some sort of compromise,” said Leaman. “I get what they’re doing right, but I think there is another way to go about it where there are no unintended consequences.”