Tag Archives: Federal student loans

Student Loan Debt Relief “Industry” Targets Desperate Borrowers

Posted on June 19, 2013

NCLC released a new report today, Searching for Relief:  Desperate Borrowers and the Growing Student Loan Debt Relief Industry.   This industry has sprung up in response to the demand for student loan borrower assistance and this report documents multiple problems … Continue reading →

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Putting Borrowers First

Posted on May 29, 2013

While the debate about student loan interest rates attracts most of the buzz these days, student loan debt collectors continue to fly under the radar.  It is particularly difficult to get to the bottom of the collections issue because we know … Continue reading →

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Update on Collection Agency Complaint Systems

Posted on March 14, 2013

In May 2012, the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project released  Borrowers on Hold:  Student Loan Collection Agency Complaint Systems Need Massive Improvement, focusing on major gaps in the federal student loan collection agency complaint system. The … Continue reading →

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Troubling Trends in Student Debt

Posted on March 8, 2013

Unfortunately, the bad news about student loan debt burdens keeps coming.  The Education Sector recently highlighted a number of troubling trends, including: From 1994 to 2009: The percent of graduates taking out loans increased from 42% to 62%, Median monthly … Continue reading →

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New Self-Help Packet on Financial Hardship Claims

Posted on February 28, 2013

Social Security helps give aging and disabled Americans peace of mind.  No matter how destitute we become, Social Security is meant to give us some measure of confidence that we will be able to get by. Social Security and other … Continue reading →

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What We Don’t Know about the Costs of Student Loan Collection

Posted on February 15, 2013

More than two years have passed since the Department of Education pulled the private collection agency handbook off of its web site and as far as we can tell, the handbook has yet to reappear in public.    (You can find … Continue reading →

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Priority Agenda 2013

Posted on January 31, 2013

Despite all of the government money spent on financial aid, the difference in college graduation rates between our nation’s top and bottom income groups has widened by nearly 50% over two decades. We need to reset our nation’s policy priorities … Continue reading →

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Default, Loan Consolidation and IBR

Posted on December 20, 2012

For a number of years, we have been writing about the problems facing borrowers trying to consolidate their loans out of default and into Income Based Repayment (IBR).  The Department of Education was placing borrowers in ICR even if they … Continue reading →

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A Look Back at 2012

Posted on December 19, 2012

2012 is almost over and it’s time for our annual “look back” at the year that was.  Student loan issues were a hot topic this year.  Much of the attention centered on legislation this summer that temporarily prevented student loan interest … Continue reading →

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New and Improved Department of Education Disability Discharge Process

Posted on November 28, 2012

We have long argued that the Department of Education should tie its standards for student loan disability discharges to Social Security standards.  At last, we are starting to see some progress in this area. Some changes are already in effect, … Continue reading →

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