Omega Studios’ School adheres to the highest level of professional conduct in its administration of its financial aid programs. The school does not have any preferred lender arrangements and does not publish a list of preferred lenders. However, it has adopted the following code of conduct related to its relationship with any student loan lender, federal, state or private.
- PROHIBITION ON FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
Neither the school nor its employees will accept anything of more than nominal value from any lending institution, guaranty agency, or loan servicer. This specifically includes revenue sharing arrangements and payments or gifts for preferred lender/guarantor/servicer status, and the provision of printing and mailing at below-market prices. It also includes gifts or donations to students or the school and other grants, scholarships or prizes.
- PROHIBITION ON GIFTS AND TRIPS
School employees may not accept gifts of more than nominal value from any lending institution, guaranty agency, or loan servicer. This includes payments and reimbursement for lodging, meals and travel to conferences, meetings or training seminars.
- ADVISORY BOARD RULES/COMPENSATION
School employees are prohibited from receiving anything of value for serving on an advisory board, commission or group of any lending institution, guaranty agency, or loan servicer. Employees are also prohibited from any type of consulting arrangement or contract to provide services to or on behalf of a lender, guaranty agency, or loan servicer relating to education loans (except for reimbursement for reasonable expenses).
- PREFERRED LENDER GUIDELINES
The school’s preferred lender list must be based solely on the best interests of the students or parents who may use the list without regard to financial interests of the institution. The school will not assign a lender, guaranty agency, or loan servicer to first-time borrowers.
- PREFERRED LENDER DISCLOSURE
On all preferred lender lists the school will clearly and fully disclose the criteria and process used to select preferred lenders, guaranty agencies, or loan servicers and inform students and parents that they have the right and ability to select the lender of their choice regardless of the preferred lender list. The school will not delay or deny a loan based on a student’s choice of lender, guaranty agency, or loan servicer nor steer borrowers to particular lenders, guaranty agencies, or loan servicers.
- LOAN RESALE DISCLOSURE AND OPPORTUNITY LOAN PROHIBITION
No lending institution, guaranty agency, or loan servicer may appear on a preferred lender list if the lender has an agreement to sell the loans to another lending institution, guaranty agency, or loan servicer without disclosing this fact. In addition, no lending institution may bargain to be a preferred lender, guaranty agency, or loan servicer with respect to a certain type of loan by providing benefits to the institution as to another type of loan (opportunity loans, except that the institution may offer loans to international students, at fair market rates, who would be otherwise unable to secure a domestic loan).
- CALL CENTER AND STAFFING PROHIBITION
The school must ensure that employees of lending institutions, guaranty agencies, or loan servicers never identify themselves to students as employees of the institution. No employee of a lending institution, guaranty agency, or loan servicer may ever work in or provide staffing to the school’s financial aid office.