Date Received: 2022-03-09
Issue: False statements or representation
Subissue: Attempted to collect wrong amount
Consumer Complaint: I submitted my XXXX application and they clearly did not evaluate any past payments made pre-consolidation. The temporary waiver states that regardless of payment plan, if you were working for a qualified employer that the payments would count if they were made on time and for the full amount. Mine are qualifying payments and they only counted the payments after my consolidation application was processed. I am missing XXXX payments in my payment count, which would qualify me for forgiveness.
Company Response:
State: NC
Zip: 28269
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-09
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-03-08
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: Dates of contact : XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX. Methods of contact : letters and phone calls. I made payments to two loan servicers : AES and Fedloan. I made 37 payments to AES from XXXX. During those years, I contacted AES numerous times about PSLF and income-based repayment. AES repeatedly told me that I did not qualify for either or that my loans were not the correct loans for PSLF. AES also told me that I had no other options. There was no information on their website about PSLF at that time. I was just starting my teaching career and was substituting and working as a paraprofessional. I paid what I could and had to defer my loans during months when I could not meet the payments ( which was often ). In XXXX, a coworker told me about Fedloan, and I moved my loans to Fedloan and started my payments all over again. In XXXX, my loan payments were based on my income. My loan payments were zero dollars for a time and then increased with my salary. This was unlike my AES payments which had been substantially more money. During this time, I repeatedly tried to get my AES payments credited toward my PSLF forgiveness without success. In XX/XX/XXXX, contacted Fedloan about the possibility of Temporary Forgiveness to get credit for my AES payments. They reviewed my file for nine months. During this time, I contacted them for updates. I was told, that they were still reviewing my file or I was not going to get my payments credited. In XX/XX/XXXX, I was denied. In addition, Fedloan keeps changing the date of my forgiveness eligibility. Their XX/XX/XXXX correspondence shows my estimated eligibility as XX/XX/XXXX, yet their XX/XX/XXXX correspondence shows my estimated eligibility as XXXXa full year later. How can this be happening? When I call Fedloan, I am transferred around and put on hold, but no one will help me resolve this. My loan payments are due to resume in XX/XX/XXXX. My loans should be forgiven in accordance with the legislation. I have fulfilled the requirements for PSLF. In addition, I wonder if I even should have had to pay all of that money to AES if they not withheld the information about other options that were indeed available at that time. I have been lied to and strung around for years as I have tried in good faith to get this matter resolved.
Company Response:
State: PA
Zip: 15237
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-08
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-03-08
Issue: Struggling to repay your loan
Subissue: Can't get other flexible options for repaying your loan
Consumer Complaint: To Whom it May Concern, I take issue with the current policies governing Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ) program. I write to request that you urge the Biden Administration to modify the PSLF program such that periods of full-time public service, combined with periods of hardship deferment or administrative forbearance, would count toward PSLF, regardless of whether payments were made during those periods.Please consider the grounds upon which I issue this request : The PSLF program was designed to incentivize people to work for non-profits serving their communities, and to help alleviate the burden of student loans that are particularly difficult to manage when working for non-profits, that historically offer much lower salaries than the private sector. As you may be aware, the actual administration of the entire federal loans program, and thePSLF program, has historically been chaotic and inconsistent across the multiple lenders who have passed around borrowers loans. I personally have a loan history that shows me as having an in-school forbearance through XXXX, even though I XXXX with my XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. There is no longer any record of which company even held my loan at that time, and it may be one of many lenders who have gone out of service in the interim. It is not clear whether it will be possible to correct this error in retrospect, even if I were to offer to make up payments that would have been due had my status been correct.Additionally, we have received inconsistent, conflicting, and misleading information about qualifying for the program and managing our repayment. For example, many people, including myself, have been steered into periods of deferment or forbearance when we were having trouble making our required payments due to low income and/or high costs of living a common problem when working for a non-profit in expensive urban areas. If we had been informed instead that we might qualify for a repayment plan that involved an extremely low or even {$0.00} payment, we would be able to count those months or years toward PSLF. Instead, many of us were actively steered toward deferment/forbearance, rather than being advised of our variety of options, and the potential loss of time toward PSLF if we took the deferment/forbearance option. And many of us have multiple periods of brief pauses like these because our loans were being transferred to other lenders. What I would like is for you to introduce legislation to include these deferment and forbearance periods in PSLF eligibility, so long as borrowers are working full-time for an eligible employer. It shouldnt matter the reason administrative transitions, periods of being in school, periods of being low income if we were working full-time for a non-profit, we should receive credit for those months, particularly given the waiver program currently in effect, which will credit people for late payments, insufficient payments, non-payments, etc. so long as they had a bill due. Its unfair that if person A worked for a qualifying employers, and had a bill due but didnt pay it, theyll get credit for PSLF, while if person B worked for that same employer, but had a deferment or forbearance, they will NOT get credit.If my request can not be granted with relief via legislation as a good-faith compromise, I request that I be permitted to make retroactive payments, either spaced out or in one lump sum, for the months of qualifying employment in which I was in deferment/forbearance. I am certain that FedLoans could calculate what my payments would have been, and if I were able to buy those months back, it would get me much closer to forgiveness.As a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, my employment history since the beginning of the PSLF program in XXXX has often been unstable as higher education itself has struggled financially and contracted. I have worked as full-time faculty teaching at non-profit universities for periods as long as three years, but I have also spent several years working for a predatory for-profit university when that was all I could get ; years cobbling together adjunct work from multiple non-profits ; and years XXXX as a XXXX and XXXX XXXX ( earning less, after all my employment costs including insurance, than at any of my non-profit positions ). I even spent six months unemployed after a sudden job loss, drawing down my savings to nearly zero while I frantically searched for work. As such, every month of qualifying employment for me is precious, and finding out that in many cases those months dont count because my loan status was ( correctly or not ) set to a deferment or forbearance is one part of what adds up to a devastating setback in achieving PSLF.I have never, even with a XXXX, earned as much as even the most basic entry-level XXXX XXXX for a XXXX XXXX company. The extreme housing costs that have predominated since the XXXX financial crisis have made it even more difficult than normal to live on a salary from a non-profit while in an urban area like the XXXX XXXX XXXX or XXXX. PSLF would make it possible for me to spend money on things that actually create economic activity, like professional training to improve my teaching and clinical work, and health care I have postponed due to financial stress. It would also dramatically improve my mental health by eliminating the crushing weight of more than a decade of chronic financial stress over the six-figure loans that, despite my payments, remain almost the same balance as when I graduated in XXXXThere are thousands of public servants with similar circumstances. Together, we request that that periods of full-time public service, even when they overlap with periods of in-school deferment o r ardship-based forbearance, would count toward PSLF, regardless of whether payments were made during those periods. We respectfully request that you urge Congress and the Biden Administration to take swift, decisive action on this matter.Thank you for your time, consideration, and service to the United States. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX
Company Response:
State: WA
Zip: 981XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-08
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-03-07
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: I applied for a public safety loan forgiveness ( PSLF ) waiver ( Waiver Program ) the Federal Student Aid department of education on XX/XX/XXXX. I have been a public servant since XXXX ( XXXX years ) and also on a XXXX federal student loan repayment plan since XXXX. Under this new Waiver Program, my XXXX student loan payments will now be considered a qualifying payment under the PSLF program. I estimate I have made 190+ payments to date, when I only need 120 to qualify. When I submitted my application, I was told that the Department of Education ( DOE ) would need 60-90 days to qualify. I contacted the Federal Student Aid Program several times during this period to verify my application status. On XX/XX/XXXX, I was informed my application was being denied for lack of a " wet ink signature '' on the application by myself and my employer. Both my employer and I had digitally signed which was in violation of the DOE 's application requirements. My issue is that the DOE did not notify me of this deficiency for four months. When inquired over the phone as to why I was not timely notified, I was told they were just too busy. The Student Aid Program instructed me to resubmit my application which I did on XX/XX/XXXX, and received acknowledgement back from the program by mail with a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX. In my conversation with the Federal Student Aid Program today ( XXXX ), I was told that my resubmitted application was still subject to their 90 day processing timeline and and would not be processed any faster, despite my applying for the Waive Program in XX/XX/XXXX. I have a real issue with this as the Cares Act federal student loan forbearance program expires in XX/XX/XXXX which will result in my having to make additional payments on a loan that I will have already overpaid for under the Wavier Program. Any assistance you could provide would be very helpful. Thank you, XXXX XXXX
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 95677
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-07
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-03-07
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: Dates XXXX present I have been trying to work with XXXX XXXXXXXX and XXXX XXXX fix my PSLF count. I have all direct loans, certify my employment each year as recommended, I have always been on the correct payment plan. I have asked for review of my file multiple times, provided proof of autodraft payments and still have had incorrect qualifying payments. Mostly due to an error by XXXX autodrafting the wrong payment amounts, something I was not made aware of until my loans transferred to XXXX XXXXXXXX and nearly a year of qualifying payments were not counted despite my being enrolled in autodraft payments. Recently, due to the PSLF Waiver, I was encouraged to consolidate my direct loans because it would lend to the count being corrected quicker than going through another review. I followed this advice, and instead of my XXXX qualifying payments, my count has now sat at zero qualifying payments for two months. No one seems to be able to give me a consistent answer, which is not surprising after years of inconsistent and inept customer service ( for the record I do not blame the customer service reps, but the poor training from admin ). As someone who has always enrolled in autodraft payments and consistently paid and done her due diligence for the PSLF program, this has been a painstaking and infuriating process. It should not be this difficult or stress inducing. Thank you for your time.
Company Response:
State: NC
Zip: 28806
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-07
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-03-07
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Account information incorrect
Consumer Complaint: FedLoan Servicing has refused to update my credit report with their transfer of 2 separate Department of Education Loans to XXXX. The transfer occurred on XX/XX/XXXX. I disputed the reports through the XXXX XXXX app in late XX/XX/XXXX, then again in XX/XX/XXXX, well over 30 days since they transferred the loans. The dispute resulted in that FedLoan did not agree and the dispute stated it was resolved with the XX/XX/XXXX balance still reported. Both Department of Education loans have been paid in full through XXXX since the transfer. Incorrect information can have a significant impact on my ability to obtain other credit and demonstrate current financial obligations. FedLoan Servicing has made many errors on my account including withholding that they were going to capitalize interest or failing to give options for repayment. I had to learn how to do everything myself during my time with them as they consistently led me towards increased debt and capitalized interest. They took 6 months to process changes such as payment plan changes and when I was on XXXX mishandled paperwork. Please help me fix this issue so I can finally be rid of FedLoan Servicing and their criminally incompetent business practices.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 95242
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-07
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-03-06
Issue: Improper use of your report
Subissue: Reporting company used your report improperly
Consumer Complaint: Fed loan Servicing is selling my information to another service provider and furnishing information to the Credit Reporting Agencies without my written consent which is in violation of the LAW. I have contacted them about this matter in 2021 but they failed to do anything.
Company Response:
State: NC
Zip: 283XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-06
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-03-06
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: I have worked in qualifying public service jobs my entire career spanning 39 years since XXXX. I took out Direct Parent Plus loans believing what I was told by Fed Loan Servicing and the US government about receiving forgiveness through the PSLF program. My wife and I have been paying on these loans since XXXX. The limited waiver was going to be a lifeline to allow us to retire. We were promised by Fed Loan Servicing and the US government the exact same things and have endured the exact same major failures as non Parent Plus loan holders. Why in heavens name were we excluded from the XXXX limited waiver? What could be the reasoning for this? Is our own Parent Plus PSLF waiver coming up in the fall? How could this exclusion have been allowed? Is this another case of age discrimination or are older Americans not seen as having enough power to demand our rights?
Company Response:
State: IL
Zip: 618XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-06
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-03-05
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: I was am under the Public Loan Forgivness program. I have been in public service for more than 10 years. I was given advice that I was on the correct plan and that my zero payments based off of income would have qualified me for Forgivness. However, this is not the case. I have over years of non qualifying payments as I was put in a forbearance plan. The max is 3 yet I have over 7 years. I am not counting my bankruptcy which they always seem to point to. I am counting the years before that. I have attempted on multiple times for them to address this and they keep pointing back that i was in forbearance or bankruptcy. Again the max is 3 years. I am asking that these years that were in forbearance be converted to qualifying payments based on the fact that I would have qualified for zero payments during this time and had my student loans forgiven.
Company Response:
State: WA
Zip: 98409
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-05
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2022-03-04
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Subissue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Consumer Complaint: To whom it may concern I have tried numerous times. please have the following removed from my account it's affecting my score and my report badly. the company is XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$4100.00} XX/XX/XXXX {$10000.00} XX/XX/XXXX {$5100.00} XX/XX/XXXX {$8900.00} XX/XX/XXXX {$4500.00} XX/XX/XXXX {$5900.00} XX/XX/XXXX {$6200.00}
Company Response:
State: FL
Zip: 33064
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2022-03-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A