Inside Campus Partners

Jeraline Gunnings
November 2003

Jeraline Gunnings
Cheering Them On

Jeraline Gunnings may not know exactly what she is going to do each day when she comes into work, but she does know she will be busy. As Team Lead in Default Prevention, she plays a critical role in keeping our customers happy by keeping their borrowers out of default. She and her team are responsible for making thousands of calls each week, and Jeraline must monitor the Autodialer and keep track of the calls for administrative purposes.

Jeraline says she is the coach, cheerleader, and instructor for her group. As a coach, she must be sure her team knows how to handle each call they make. As a cheerleader, she must keep their spirits high as they each talk to sometimes hostile or suspicious borrowers every night. As an instructor, she must train the group in using the technology necessary to do the job and keep them updated about regulatory changes or changes in institutional programs. She also monitors the calls her team makes in order to identify training needs.

Jeraline is thankful for the technology that allows her group to make so many calls automatically. Each day System III identifies about 1,000 borrowers who are behind in their payments or borrowers who have been enrolled in the Early Intervention Program (EIP) by their schools. Jeraline downloads this information to our Autodialer, which automatically dials the calls. Without this technology, only a fraction of these calls could be made each night. EIP, which quite effectively decreases borrower default, provides extra phone contacts and mailers to borrowers early in delinquency. Without the Autodialer and the dedication of the default prevention team, this cost-effective program would not be possible.

Jeraline still must monitor her team’s activity carefully. She knows that failing to make calls within a very small window of time could result in compliance problems as well as violating lender guaranty agreements. Jeraline says, “If we did not make these calls, we could be penalized, especially with insured loans. We have to deliver the best product to our customers in the contracted amount of time.”
The borrowers targeted for calls are not just numbers to Jeraline. When she talks to them, she spends time counseling them on their debt and telling them about options they may have to bring their loan current. “We always try to get the money first and offer them the option to pay their bill by phone. We also tell them about ‘no pay options’ like deferments and forbearances or special billing arrangements. Borrowers sometimes thank us for reminding them about their loan payment and telling them how to bring their loan current.”

Jeraline has worked for the company since 1991. For most of that time she has worked from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM because the evening is the prime time to make default prevention calls. Despite these hours, she has a very active family life. Together, she and her husband Earnest have five daughters, one son, and 13 grandchildren. Although spare time is hard to find, she and her husband like to play games and watch “all kinds” of sports on TV. Before her husband’s health deteriorated, the Gunnings were constant fixtures at Winston-Salem State University football games and tailgate parties and count many former players--including some now in the NFL--among their friends. She also loves getting together with her three sisters and their mother.

Jeraline is also an accomplished musician, and played the piccolo and flute in her high school band and orchestra, and even performed with the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra. She currently likes to paint in oils and watercolors, keeps a journal, and hopes to write and illustrate a children’s book some day. She also has been very actively involved in her church’s soup kitchen and loves working for charitable organizations.

Did we mention that Jeraline was a substitute majorette and cheerleader in high school? Looks like some things never change because Jeraline is still leading and encouraging others. She just traded in her pom-poms and baton for an Autodialer.