<prompt> Human: So I have some substantial student loans that Im now able to pay off with a lump sum. Is there any possibility that my private lender would be open to negotiating the payoff amount, or is this something unheard of? Just looking for any past experience, thanks.  <response>: My husband got the great idea to do this at one point a few years ago. He called up Sallie Mae with what I thought was a pretty fair proposal and they got a real kick out of it. Theyre probably still laughing. 