Seems like we keep sharing good news and not-so-good news on Student Loans. Here's the latest installment.

In Massachusetts, the state's Educational Financing Authority has come back from a summer hiatus, and will once again be able to provide students with loans. The agency had been negotiating for several months before getting approval to float a bond issue, which in turn will enable loans to proceed normally for the remainder of the 2008-2009 academic year.

On a federal level, the House has passed a bill (now going to the Senate) extending the education department's authority to shore up the federal guaranteed loan program to meet demand.

There has not been as much progress, unfortunately, with Sallie Mae, the corporation that has traditionally processed most student loans. They are still locked in a dispute over bidding for additional loans, and that is tying up a lot of would-be borrowers.