Stafford loans and PLUS loans are available through SunTrust. Both are insured by the federal government. PLUS loans offer a fixed rate and can be used by parents or graduate school students to supplement other types of aid, regardless of financial need. Subsidized Stafford loans are need-based, and the government pays the interest on them while you are a full or half-time student. Unsubsidized Stafford loans aren't need-based; with these, you can pay the interest while in school or defer it until six months after graduation to start paying. SunTrust offers additional interest rate benefits—for allowing monthly loan payments to be made automatically from a personal checking or savings account, for example, or for consistent on-time payments.