"When it comes to paying for college, rising tuition and a slumping economy are bad news for students, but lenders also have been battered in recent months," the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. "A measure passed by Congress in 2007 made student borrowing cheaper and more accessible but cut sharply into the profits of lenders. A national credit crunch also has dried up a source of capital traditionally used by lenders. The double whammy has prompted lenders like Edamerica, a U.S. financial-aid heavyweight headquartered in West Knoxville, to work more closely with the government to keep money flowing."