Student loan borrowers should be aware of a proposed rule by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued on May 6, 2016.  It implements a new law that allows robocalls and texts to be made to a cell phone without the consumer’s consent “to collect a debt owed to or guaranteed by the United States.” This […]

Today the National Consumer Law Center and the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education seeking the release of student loan debt collection information and race data.  We sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in May 2015, requesting that the Department release documents both about its debt collection policies […]

The Obama Administration announced a number of relief options for borrowers this week, including new ways to help disabled borrowers.  This has been overshadowed by other news on student loans this week, but it is criticially important.  We have been calling on the Administration for some time to stop collecting from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) […]

There is a lot of good news for borrowers in the President’s Student Aid Bill of Rights memorandum.   Combined with the recent cancellation of a number of government debt collection agency contracts, the President is showing that his Administration is serious about helping struggling student loan borrowers.  The reforms announced today are a positive […]

The Department of Education announced late in the day on Friday that following a review of 22 private collection agencies, the Department will “wind down” contacts with five agencies that were “…providing inaccurate information to borrowers.”  The five companies are:  Coast Professional, Enterprise Recovery Systems, National Recoveries, Pioneer Credit Recovery (owned by Sallie Mae/Navient), and […]

We thought last year was a busy year in the student loan world (and it was) but this year was even busier.  As The Institute for College Access and Success  (TICAS)  and others have reported, student debt burdens continue to increase.  The Obama Administration announced a commitment this year to expand options for borrowers and to […]

The National Consumer Law Center’s annual conference wrapped up this weekend.  We were honored to have a number of top federal student aid regulators at our conference this year.  We wrote about Treasury Deputy Secretary Sarah Bloom Raskin’s speech in a separate post.  We were also honored to hear from Department of Education Deputy Under […]

The U.S. Senate Health Education Labor & Pensions Committee (HELP) held a very important hearing a few weeks ago on federal student loan issues.  This was part of a series of hearings to collect ideas for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The hearing began with testimony from James Runcie, COO of the Department […]

The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing this past week examining mismanagement in the federal student loan rehabilitation process.  The hearing coincided with a damning report from the General Accountability Office (GAO), Better Oversight Could Improve Defaulted Loan Rehabilitation.  Department of Education Inspector General Kathleen Tighe testified at the hearing about […]

It’s been a very busy year in the student loan world.  The media, policymakers and regulators have started to wake up to the scope of student loan debt and the consequences for borrowers, their families and the economy. We will be taking a short break at Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project.  Before we go, here […]