Date Received: 2023-09-25
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: Hi, My loans were transferred over from XXXX XXXX to Mohela because I am under XXXX and also under XXXX. Initially I was told that my payments would return to my pre pandemic payments which were {$73.00} until I have rectify the earliest which would be sometime next year. This was being reflected on my Mohela page as well. Today I logged on to see that my payments would be over {$4000.00} with a date of XX/XX/XXXX. This is extremely frustrating as a consumer and I have been on the phone for over an hour without an answer.I have attached documents of my old statement from XXXX and also what I saw on MOHELA today. Thank You
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: NY
Zip: 117XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-09-25
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: I am a loan borrower on track to have my loans forgiven under PSLF. As encouraged by the federal government, I submitted a request to have my Income-Based Repayment plan moved to the REPAYE ( prior to SAVE ) payment plan on XX/XX/2023, but heard back from Mohela via email on XX/XX/2023, that moving to REPAYE plan would increase my monthly payments, so they took no action. I resubmitted a request to have my payment plan moved to SAVE on XX/XX/2023, but have now received a notice from Mohela on XX/XX/2023, that my account has been placed on administrative forbearance until XX/XX/2023, while they process the request. This will add two additional months ( with interest accruing ) until I am eligible to receive PSLF, because while I currently have 105 eligible payments, the forbearance will now eliminate three would-be eligible payments I would have made in XX/XX/2023, XX/XX/2023, and XX/XX/2023, that would have counted towards PSLF, thereby achieving 120 payments sooner. I have followed all instructions and abided by all deadlines, and do not feel I should be penalized because Mohela is not able to process the traffic of payments and requests at this time. Attempting to call Mohela several times, I have been on hold for countless hours with no reply. There is absolutely no accountability for what, as far as we know, could be an intentional delay to increase my interest and overall payout that Mohela will receive when I finally qualify for PSLF.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: MD
Zip: 21230
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-09-25
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Don't agree with the fees charged
Consumer Complaint: I was forced to switch to MOHELA because I am a high school teacher seeking PSLF. With repayments starting again, I filed as a new client with MOHELA for the new SAVE repayment plan. I had used MOHELA 's repayment calculator providing all information on adjusted gross income and my new wife 's financials. It was estimated I would have monthly payments of {$300.00}. My first bill due this XXXX amounts to {$890.00}. I called and waited on hold for 2.5 hours before a representative filed a new IDR request for SAVE. XXXX, the representative, stated that my estimated repayment on SAVE would be {$300.00}. Now the request is in process for review. There is no guarantee the SAVE payment will be {$300.00}, so I must pay {$890.00} unless I take a forbearance. Taking a forbearance would then make me miss a count on PSLF. More so, with a AGI of {$69000.00}, how can my payments total {$890.00} considering they are capped maximum of 10 % discretionary? It seems I filed for SAVE like I should, MOHELA says I owe {$890.00}, I re-file for {$300.00} if and only if they accept that as my SAVE monthly payment. This process is abhorrentXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I am getting gutted for the payment amount. It does not align with anything the new SAVE program details.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: NY
Zip: 10025
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-09-25
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: Before the end of the repayment pause, I paid down my loan balance to {$8200.00}. I had not made any payments prior to the pause. I also enrolled in auto-debit in order to take advantage of the .25 percent decrease in interest. However, MOHELA has improperly set my monthly payment at $ XXXXwell above what it should be at {$91.00}. MOHELA has also set up an auto debit scheduled for XX/XX/XXXX for {$230.00}. I have sent them multiple communications asking them to lessen the amount and have received no response. Further, MOHELA has vastly miscalculated my monthly payment. MOHELA calculates my monthly payment for a term of 64 months, not 120 months. They have been unreachable in managing these issues.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: FL
Zip: 328XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-09-25
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: I applied for the XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. I have worked for the same school since XX/XX/XXXX and have made monthly payments for my loan since XX/XX/XXXX. Mohela has been giving me the run around for almost a year now, saying I only have XXXX out of XXXX required eligible payments to qualify for XXXX. However, they need to count payments from XX/XX/XXXX- XX/XX/XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX : Spoke with XXXX, who says that Mohela is waiting on the XXXX XXXX XXXX, and it takes a while. XX/XX/XXXX : Spoke with XXXX, who said she will have her XXXX call me back to figure out what is happening. No one returned my phone call. XX/XX/XXXX : Spoke to XXXX, who submitted a rework request to management to determine why they continue not counting 70 months of payments. I also resubmitted another employment verification since they said they could not count my work from the original application to XXXX. It shouldn't matter, though ; I've made the payments, but I had my employer sign off and verify my employment. XX/XX/XXXX : I spoke with XXXX, who said I needed proof of payment from XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX, so I uploaded proof from XXXX that I made payments every month and did not skip any. He verified he received the document and said I would hear from Mohela in 30 days. XX/XX/XXXX : I spoke to XXXX, who now says that my loan was deferred during that period because I was in school. When I explained I was in school from XX/XX/XXXX - to XX/XX/XXXX, my loan was never in deferment, and even if it was, there are still 54 months of payments not being counted, she said it didn't matter. She said they would request to have the national student loan payment count, and I should hear back in XXXX - 14 days. This seems like a scam to me, and I am being singled out because I have proven that I make my payments on time and have been a responsible loan borrower. I have done everything required and sent everything requested of me, confirming that I have made payments for 20 years without missing a month, all while working for the same school district. It seems convenient that I am 2 months shy of meeting the requirements, but I've proven that I have 70 months of payments that needs to be counted.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: CA
Zip: 935XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-09-25
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: I have received an email from the U.S. Department of Education on XX/XX/XXXX stating that my student loans that I had acquired when I was attending XXXX XXXX were being fully discharged. It said that I do not have to make any more payments on the loans. I received a phone call about 2 months ago from someone at Mohela about my loans and how they were taking over my loans. I told them then that I had gotten an email stating my student loans had been discharged. All except my private loans with XXXX, who is a criminal organization as well. Today I get a bill in the mail from Mohela that states that I owe around {$15000.00}. I will not pay them. I have the email from the U.S. Department of Education.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: GA
Zip: 30263
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-09-26
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/XXXX, I received communication that my loan servicer was being switched from XXXX to MOHELA. Since payments are about to restart I noticed on XX/XX/XXXX that MOHELA changed the Income Driven Repayment ( IDR ) plan I had with XXXX without my consent. My monthly payment changed from {$750.00} per month at XXXX to {$3800.00} per month with MOHELA. I called MOHELA on XX/XX/XXXX to get placed on an IDR plan because I can not afford {$3800.00} per month on their standard plan. I applied for the SAVE IDR plan over the phone with a customer service representative which would cost me {$650.00} per month. I asked the customer service representative whether I would have to submit any additional documentation with the IDR application I completed with her over the phone. She stated that I didnt have to since I self-certified my income with her over the phone, and she said that MOHELA would reach out with additional information. I called MOHELA on XX/XX/XXXX regarding an important account information email I received from them on XX/XX/XXXX stating that my XX/XX/XXXX was denied because I did not upload additional income verification documents. Please note that the document states my application was denied XX/XX/XXXX, but the electronic correspondence was sent XX/XX/XXXX. MOHELA did not attempt to contact me through email to ask for supplemental documentation at any point. I spoke to customer service representative XXXX about this, and she insisted it was a mistake and I applied for the SAVE IDR plan with her over the phone. She stated that I didnt have to submit any additional documentation unless MOHELA asked for it since I self-certified my income with her. I submitted my XXXX for XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX because I could see my application was still pending, and I didnt want MOHELA to deny my application without reaching out to me again. I called on XX/XX/XXXX because my application was still pending and the customer service representative ( named XXXX, a trainee XXXX said that there is a glitch with MOHELA that caused my XX/XX/XXXX application to get denied. He said it has been happening to a lot of people, and he advised me to call back on XX/XX/XXXX if my XX/XX/XXXX IDR application was still pending. He said I could ask for a supervisor to get my application looked at if it is still pending by then. I called XX/XX/XXXX because my XX/XX/XXXX application was still pending. Customer service representative XXXX stated there is no supervisor and nothing she could do about my pending application. She advised me to submit my W2s for XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX so MOHELA could have plenty of income documents to refer to and not decline my IDR plan request. On XX/XX/XXXX MOHELA emailed me an Administrative Forbearance letter that was dated XX/XX/XXXX stating that my loans would be in forbearance for the month of XX/XX/XXXX. They also sent me a correspondence processing delay email on XX/XX/XXXX dated back to XX/XX/XXXX saying they were processing my XX/XX/XXXX application. Now on XX/XX/XXXX I decided to check the status of my XX/XX/XXXX application and it says declined. MOHELA has not sent me any email as to why it was declined. It is the same situation as the first IDR application that was denied. Please note : MOHELA removed me from my IDR plan without my consent and is refusing to put me on a plan I can pay. They are putting me on forbearance which would harm my payment count for Public Service Loan Forgiveness ( PSLF ). Also, interest still accrues during forbearance and my monthly payment would increase. All of the correspondence MOHELA is emailing me is delayed by weeks and months. This means that I can not provide any additional documentation because by the time they send the email, MOHELA has denied my application. This has happened twice already. The attached PDFs show when the email was sent to my inbox versus the date stated on the actual letter. Finally, the customer service representatives are only trained to type in data into an application. They are not given the ability to trouble shoot any errors made by MOHELA and are instead trained to tell us to call back in 7 -11 business days. Please help me get back on a reasonable IDR plan without delaying my Public Service Loan Forgiveness payment count any further.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: NC
Zip: 27703
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-26
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-09-24
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: I was automatically switched from the REPAYE program to the SAVE program. The payment was calculated incorrectly according to the information prior to the covid pause, which is allowed by the federal government until my recertification date of XX/XX/2024. They did not take into account my family of 4, my payment is calculated based on me being single, nor did they take into account my spouse 's student loans. This has led to my payments being almost {$400.00} higher than they should be.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: LA
Zip: 70607
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-24
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-09-25
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: As of XXXX, my employment with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX was certified as eligible employment for PSLF by FSA and documentation was given to me by XXXX, which I have attached below. Now that I have been switched to MOHELA, the servicer has informed me my job was not recertified ( XXXX XXXX unfortunately closed, and I imagine that is causing the confusion ), and that I have no recourse to prove that it was certified prior. If they refuse to assist me, or approve the recertification of my employment, then I will lose five years of my payments under PSLF. My job was XXXX was also for a XXXX, which they denied. I have uploaded XXXX letters stating they are a XXXX and they simply marked the document as a " Duplicate. '' The letter was from a completely different diocese for a different employer. I have uploaded the completed and signed PSLF form to MOHELA several times, I have uploaded tax letters solidifying both XXXX XXXX XXXX status, and MOHELA still states my job is not recertified when it had been prior. Every time I call them, they make me wait at least an hour and then provide little to no assistance in the matter. They refuse to tell me who I should contact to ensure my job is recertified as it was prior. It is obvious they will do anything to ensure I am denied PSLF and that my loans are forgiven as stated according to stipulations of the PSLF program. I have uploaded the XXXX tax exempt letters to my complaint.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: NJ
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-09-25
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: I am writing to file a formal complaint against the XXXX Higher Education Loan Authority ( Mohela ) regarding their refusal to disclose how my student loan payments are being calculated when they significantly exceed the estimated payments provided in my XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) application. This discrepancy has caused undue financial hardship and confusion. I entered into an XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) plan for my federal student loans to make my loan payments more affordable based on my income and family size. As part of the XXXX application process, I provided accurate information about my income, family size, and financial circumstances. The XXXX estimator provided by the U.S. Department of Education calculated an estimated monthly payment amount based on the information I provided, and I accepted this estimate as my expected monthly payment. The issue I am currently facing is that Mohela, the loan servicer responsible for managing my federal student loans, has m higher monthly payments than what was estimated in my XXXX application. This unexpected financial burden has created substantial financial hardship for me and my family, making it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. When I contacted Mohela on XX/XX/2023 to inquire about the calculation of my monthly payments and the discrepancies between the estimated and actual amounts, I was met with resistance and a refusal to provide a clear explanation. Despite attempts to obtain transparent and detailed information about how my payments are being calculated, Mohela has not provided any satisfactory responses. This lack of transparency has left me in the dark about the basis for my loan payments, making it impossible for me to effectively manage my finances and plan for the future. I believe that Mohela 's refusal to disclose the methodology behind my payment calculations is a violation of my rights as a borrower and may be in violation of federal regulations governing student loans and loan servicing.
Company Response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
State: AZ
Zip: 85712
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-09-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A