Student Loan Magic

So, to finance my fabulous law school education, I took out new federal student loans. All of my old student loans live on as a consolidation loan, also done through the Direct Loan program. I need to get that deferred while I'm back in school.

I thought this would involve my filling out and sending in a deferment request, which requires certification by the school, so yesterday I dutifully trudged to the admin building, stood in line at the wrong window for 10 minutes, and was eventually directed to the right window, where the window person printed and stamped and bustled around and handed me back a bunch of papers that I guess I'm supposed to mail in. (I actually *know* I'm supposed to mail it in, but only because I asked, "Am I supposed to mail this in myself, then?" My rant about the customer service values of the university bureaucracy is a matter for another time.)

BUT! Yesterday I arrived home to find a letter from the Direct Loan program stating

Electronic debiting of your Direct Loan payment is being halted temporarily because we granted a deferment...on your Direct Loan(s).

Now, I'm going to call the Direct Loan people just to make sure, but I think this means that my new Direct Loan somehow triggered the deferment on my old Direct Loan automatically.

Amazing, no?