Does CommonBond still offer student loan refinancing?

CommonBond operated as a private student loan lender and refinancer for over a decade, funding more than $5 billion in student loans before exiting the market. As of mid-2022, the company stopped originating all new student loans and refinances. CommonBond's former student-lending website no longer accepts applications. The company pivoted to residential solar financing, but that business also failed to scale, and CommonBond wound down entirely by 2024 — the brand and platform are no longer operating in any business line.

Timeline of CommonBond's exit

• April 2022: CommonBond stopped accepting new private student loan applications.
• May 2022: CommonBond stopped accepting new student loan refinancing applications.
• 2022 (full year): The company transitioned all existing student loan servicing and announced its pivot away from student lending.

What happened to existing CommonBond student loans

CommonBond's existing student loan portfolio was transferred to new servicers. If you had a CommonBond student loan, your account is now managed by Firstmark Services (many accounts also serviced by Nelnet). A servicer change does not alter the terms of your loan — your interest rate, balance, and repayment schedule remain as set in your original loan agreement. What changes is who you pay, how you log in, and who handles customer service.

CommonBond itself no longer exists to field customer service calls — do not rely on a CommonBond phone number or email for support. Contact Firstmark Services directly: 888-538-7378 for FirstmarkServices.com account holders, or 844-649-2917 if you access your account at Firstmark.MyLoanManager.com (both lines run 7 a.m.–8 p.m. Central, Monday–Friday). Verify current numbers at firstmarkservices.com before calling.

Should you refinance now that CommonBond is gone?

A servicer change is a reasonable time to review whether refinancing makes sense — but refinancing a student loan is a permanent decision with trade-offs that depend heavily on whether your loans are federal or private.

• Federal loans: refinance with caution. Refinancing federal student loans into a private loan permanently eliminates federal protections — income-driven repayment (IDR), Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), federal deferment and forbearance, and any future federal forgiveness programs. The Department of Education's studentaid.gov explains in detail what you give up. For most federal borrowers, exhausting federal options (IDR, PSLF) before refinancing is the right sequence.
• Private loans: compare rates directly. For private loans already held by a private servicer, refinancing to a lower APR is lower-stakes — you are not giving up federal protections you already don't have. Compare offers from multiple private lenders. Focus on total interest paid over the remaining loan life, not just the monthly payment change.
• Weigh the remaining term. Refinancing resets your repayment clock. Extending the term lowers monthly payments but increases total interest. Running both scenarios (same rate, different terms) makes the real cost clear.