Tag Archives: Federal student loans

The Student Loan Default Trap

Posted on July 31, 2012

 The Student Loan Default Trap: Why Borrowers Default and What Can Be Done,  a new report released on Monday from the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project, addresses questions about the causes of default and the effectiveness … Continue reading →

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Recent Changes to Student Aid and Other New Developments

Posted on July 5, 2012

July 1 was an important date for many student borrowers.  Key changes to student aid programs include: 1.  New students without high school diplomas or GEDs will no longer be eligible for federal aid.  (There is an exception for students … Continue reading →

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Finally Some Action on Consolidation and Rehabilitation?

Posted on May 29, 2012

We have written a number of posts about ongoing operational problems at the Department of Education.  We received some encouraging news this week that some of these problems may be fixed, including: 1.  We wrote earlier about problems with borrowers seeking … Continue reading →

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U.S. Department of Education Collection Complaint System Needs Massive Improvement

Posted on May 7, 2012

Today, the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Borrower Loan Assistance Project released a new report: Borrowers on Hold: Student Loan Collection Agency’s Complaint Systems Need Massive Improvement.    Overview: The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) relies on an increasing … Continue reading →

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Recent Changes to Federal Student Aid Programs

Posted on January 27, 2012

Congress made a number of changes to the federal student aid programs at the end of 2011.  This legislation passed without much substantive debate because it was part of the budget process.  President Obama signed the legislaton on December 23, 2011 … Continue reading →

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Operational Problems at the Department of Education: What Is Going On?

Posted on January 26, 2012

We wrote in December about operational breakdowns at the Department of Education, focusing on the Department’s failure to properly place borrowers in “forced consolidation” into IBR.  Shockingly, the Department has yet to fix this problem.  Department staff now tell us … Continue reading →

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Looking Back at 2011

Posted on December 19, 2011

It seems that we were just looking back at 2010….and yet another year has passed.  As we get ready for a holiday vacation at Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project, we offer a few thoughts on 2011: It was a year of … Continue reading →

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Operational Breakdowns at the Department of Education

Posted on December 16, 2011

A December 2011 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education reveals numerous problems with the Department of Education’s online system for managing student loans. Unfortunately, this is not news to our clients and other borrowers.  We have been pointing out operational … Continue reading →

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Obama Administration’s Student Loan Proposals

Posted on October 28, 2011

President Obama announced a plan this week to help alleviate student loan burdens.   The President’s plan shows that the Administration is hearing the voices of struggling student loan borrowers.  It is a good step in providing some relief, but much more needs … Continue reading →

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State Relief for Proprietary School Abuses

Posted on October 27, 2011

State tuition recovery funds (STRFs) can be a valuable source of relief for defrauded students when a school is insolvent and when the student cannot obtain a federal discharge. STRFs contain deposits of money collected from schools approved to operate … Continue reading →

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