Inaugural Multi-Year Engagement to Expand Originations Capacity and Generate Fee Income
Sallie Mae, the leader in private student lending, has announced a multi-year strategic partnership with KKR, a leading global investment firm.
Through this multi-year engagement, KKR expects to purchase an initial seed portfolio of private education loans followed by a minimum of $2 billion in newly originated private education loans annually, for an initial three-year term. KKR’s investment comes from KKR-managed credit funds and accounts via the firm’s Asset-Based Finance strategy.
Sallie Mae will maintain the relationships with customers and retain servicing for loans sold to KKR and will earn ongoing fees from KKR for providing servicing, program management, and industry expertise.
By expanding access to innovative, scalable, and capital efficient funding, this strategic partnership is expected to strengthen Sallie Mae’s loan originations capacity and ability to serve students and families.
“We believe this inaugural partnership with KKR will unlock the potential for off-balance sheet capital efficiency,create a more resilient, capital-light, and consistent earnings profile, and allow us to serve more students and families,” said Jon Witter, Chief Executive Officer, Sallie Mae. “We’re excited to work with KKR on this first of its kind deal and look forward to growing this into a new business.”
“We’re pleased to partner with Sallie Mae, a market leader with a strong track record of disciplined underwriting and servicing performance, as it expands its ability to serve students and optimize its balance sheet,” said Avi Korn, Managing Director and Co-Head of Asset-Based Finance at KKR. “This transaction exemplifies the opportunities we’re seeing across our Asset-Based Finance strategy to deploy long-term, flexible capital in support of high-quality, scaled financial institutions.”
