Date Received: 2019-12-03
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Don't agree with the fees charged
Consumer Complaint: Complaint # 1 : Recertification and refund In XX/XX/XXXX, I received a notification from Fed Loan Servicing stating that it was time for me to recertify my IBR ( Income Based Repayment ) plan. The letter explained that I needed to send in a " completed application and all supporting documentation within 10 days of XX/XX/XXXX '' or else my " monthly payment will increase to {$1200.00}, first due on XX/XX/XXXX ''. I submitted my income recertification in XXXX or XXXX, and on XX/XX/XXXX they debited my account for {$1200.00}. This was 4 months before they were supposed to begin charging me the new payment. I called in multiple times to complain about this and while they updated my payment to reflect my income certification, they continued to take the larger amount before the scheduled XXXX date. I asked them to go back to my prior payment of {$930.00} until XXXX as they promised in their documentation, and only got passed from phone operator to phone operator and no resolve. Additionally, I requested they refund me the payment difference for XXXX since it did not reflect my recertification or the date they stated in the documentation, and they said it would take up to 90 days to address. I never received any further communication on the matter and never received the refund. Complaint # 2 : Length of time of on qualifying plan Last year I complained to Fed Loan Servicing and submitted a complaint about them to the CFPB because they miscalculated my qualifying payments. For 6+ months they said I only had a handful of qualifying payments rather the five years they later recalculated. I told them, that recalculation was incorrect and that I have been on a qualifying plan since before XX/XX/XXXX. They said they have no record of that because another servicer handled my loan back then. Aren't they legally responsible for having all of my documentation as a debt collector? There should be documentation on file as to when I enrolled in IBR and through what servicer. Complaint # 3 : Amount taken each month For the XXXX tax year, I made roughly {$110000.00}. In calculating my IBR, I am paying more than 12 % of my income on these loans. Is that a correct calculation? And how did my payment increase by {$270.00} this year when my salary only increased by a couple of thousand?
Company Response:
State: MD
Zip: 20785
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-12-03
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-12-02
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Subissue: Problem with personal statement of dispute
Consumer Complaint: To whomever it may concern : Thank you very much for taking time from your day to help. I have disputed this several times. An administrative forbearance was approved for 7 separate accounts from XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX and a General Forbearance was approved for the same 7 accounts from XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX. During this time period several late payments were reported. FedLoan Servicing initially failed to update current contact information ( upon MULTIPLE requests to do so ). I stumbled on this and it seemed to accurately depict my current situation. Section 623 ( a ) ( 2 ) of the FCRA addresses the duty to correct and update information by " furnishers, '' or persons who furnish information to consumer reporting agencies ( " CRA '' ) such as credit bureaus. In particular, this section requires a person that " has furnished to a consumer reporting agency information that the person determines is not complete or accurate '' to " promptly notify the consumer reporting agency of that determination '' and provide any information needed to make it complete and accurate. ( 1 ) Thus, on its face, this provision requires a furnisher to provide corrected or updated information to the consumer reporting agency that it had reported to originally. A furnisher that reports current information to a different CRA has done nothing to " correct and update information '' with CRA that possess the information that the furnisher has now determined is incomplete or erroneous. This duty extends to all student loan accounts reported to CRAs, regardless of whether they were accurate at one point, because the section requires the furnisher both to " update '' accounts as well as to " correct '' those that were erroneous when submitted to the CRA. Section 607 ( b ) of the FCRA requires CRAs to " follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy of information '' in their consumer reports. It is our view that a CRA that refuses to accept updated and corrected information from a furnisher on student loan accounts, if it still maintains that information in its database, does not have in place " reasonable procedures '' to comply with this section with respect to such accounts. Yours truly, XXXX XXXX
Company Response:
State: MO
Zip: 65807
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-12-02
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-12-02
Issue: Communication tactics
Subissue: Used obscene, profane, or other abusive language
Consumer Complaint: I have Federal Student loans that are in default with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, I have been trying to get these into a reinstatement agreement since XX/XX/2019. I had sent in the paperwork twice. First in XX/XX/2019, where I was informed the paperwork wasn't correct. However, when I asked what I needed to correct I never received anything in the mail ( which I repeatedly left voicemail messages for ). I finally was able to get someone to help ( not with XXXX XXXX XXXX ), and sent in the paperwork in early XX/XX/2019. After a couple of weeks, I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX in early XX/XX/2019. The agent I talked with ( XXXX XXXX ), told me they received my paperwork and that I owed {$5.00} a month, but that my agreement form wouldn't be sent out to me until I made my first payment. On XX/XX/2019 I made my first payment of {$5.00}, on XXXX XXXX XXXX 's website ( Invoice # XXXX ). I then called XXXX back on XX/XX/2019 and talked with XXXX, he told me they didn't have my payment applied to my account. He then berated me, used profane language, and threatened me with not being able to be in the reinstatement program. I gave him the invoice number and he said he would contact their accounting department. XXXX and I were able to get back in touch on XX/XX/2019 ( the date I told XXXX I would call back ). He informed me they still didn't have my payment on my account ( even though it had been 26 days since the payment was processed ). It seems like XXXX/XXXX are lying, as it shouldn't take 26 days to apply a payment to an account. They also seem unprofessional, with the language they use, not speaking clearly into the phone repeatedly, not sending stuff through the mail when requested, and threatening to remove people from programs they have no authority to do ( only because I wouldn't give him my debit card number over the phone ).
Company Response:
State: IA
Zip: 502XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-12-02
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-12-01
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: Dear Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, I have extensive student loans and am working towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness. I have been having trouble getting PHEAA/FedLoan Servicing to get the count of my PSLF-qualifying payments correct. Every time I submit an employer certification form ( ECF ), they get some or another count wrong. They take months or more to review and then do not communicate well. Specifically, the last detailed payment count I received on XX/XX/XXXX for the ECF filed XX/XX/XXXX ( 8 months late! ). On that detailed count, they said I had 93 payments that count. This, specifically, was incorrect ; they did not count the payment bill XX/XX/XXXX made XX/XX/XXXX ( see file XXXX Fedloan Loan Payment for what they thought at that time ; and see XXXX FedLoan count to see that after much discussion at that time they did realize that the XX/XX/XXXX payment should count, and see the letter from XXXX that reflects this ). Also, because of an error on FedLoans part, they did not generate a bill on XX/XX/XXXX. I called them and discussed, and they wrote me a letter that that payment should count. Please see letter from XX/XX/XXXX. By my count ( see attached PSLF count spreadsheet ) my 120th payment should be on XX/XX/XXXX, but the latest count I have from FedLoans from XX/XX/XXXX ( for ECF date XX/XX/XXXX ) says I have 104 payments and am on track for XX/XX/XXXX ( it should be 106 payments on that date, and thus it is 2-3 months too late ). It is unclear to me what payments they do not agree with and I asked about this months ago, but they have yet to send me a detailed count. I have not yet received detailed counts from ECFs files XX/XX/XXXX. I recently filed another ECF XX/XX/XXXX to make sure they are paying attention and the counts as described above are correct. I would appreciate your help with correcting these issues, as I am approaching the 120 payments and every month I pay extra is about an extra $ 1K! Thanks XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-12-01
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-12-01
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Subissue: Information is missing that should be on the report
Consumer Complaint: I have requested from all three credit reporting agencies to provide the original contract of indebtedness as verification of the debt because I believe that the loan balance is incorrect. They keep saying it's been " verified '' with no copy of anything sent to me. This is very frustrating.
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: 76705
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-12-01
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-11-30
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Subissue: Problem with personal statement of dispute
Consumer Complaint: I had been up to date for 5 years on my personal student loans. I received a phone call about debt consolidation. decided to move forward with it. ( later found out I was solicited by a third party ) made 3 payments to this third party company and they enrolled me into the federal student loan forgiveness program. problem is I did not know who had my loans. then, about a year later saw it come up on my credit report that I was 90 days late on payments, and saw the company that had my loans. Federal Student Loan Forgiveness program. so I contacted them and immediately got my loans up to date. the problem was I never got a notice in the mail or email. during my phone call it became clear that I was scammed by a third party, and after much deliberation with the person on the phone, they said if I can prove I was solicited by a third party they would fix my credit report. ( score went down by nearly 100 points ) so I wrote a report, got bank statements and printed out articles on the internet where other people were also solicited by Student Loan Relief Counseling ( or counselors ) and sent that into the credit dispute committee. I thought it was clear what happened. they had said that they sent notifications to my inbox I created, but I never did create one, and they also had the wrong cell number for me. so I was really unable to get the information to update my payments. They declined my credit dispute because as one person I spoke with said " we didn't tell you to work with a third party '' this was extremely disappointing. they said fixing the credit report had no negative effect on them, so I couldn't understand why they wouldn't want to help me out of a situation I was scammed into. it seems to happen a lot with the third party companies, you would think there was some firewall against that happening. Again, I was told my if I was able to prove I was scammed into the program they would fix the 90 days late, so I put a clear package together showing what happened, and instead it got declined and my credit score went down again. my credit score is still nearly 100 points lower than what it was before this all happened. And I wonder why a program designed to help people In financial need would be so short to dismiss these kind of issues. thank you.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 125XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-11-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-11-29
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Trouble with how payments are being handled
Consumer Complaint: FedLoan Servicing is still not following my loan payment instructions, even after two previous CFPB complaints and sending them an instruction letter as recommended by the CFPB ( Sample Letter To Your Loan Servicer ). In FedLoan Servicing 's response to my last CFPB complaint, FedLoan Servicing said I should not include their billing stub with payments that have specific loan targeting instructions in order to have those instructions followed. This sounded fishy to me and it turns out it was in fact false. I did not include a billing stub with my last few payments and my payments are still NOT being processed according to my instructions, which is causing extra interest to accrue on my loans that would not otherwise be accruing if my instructions were being followed. Some, but not all, examples are : 1. An additional {$200.00} principal payment FedLoan Servicing processed on XX/XX/XXXX should have been applied only to the principal of the loan disbursed on XX/XX/XXXX with an interest rate of 4.66 %, but it was instead applied to the principal AND INTEREST of all the loans. Only {$24.00} principal was applied to the noted loan. I did not include a billing paymnet slip with this payment as instructed by FedLoan Servicing. I have included the XX/XX/XXXX bill along with the payment instructions for both payments I made in XXXX. I have also included the payment history details for both these XXXX payments ( XX/XX/XXXX & XX/XX/XXXX ) showing how FedLoan Servicing incorrectly applied these payments. 2. A payment of {$360.00} FedLoan Servicing processed on XX/XX/XXXX should have had around {$120.00} in additional principal applied to the loan disbursed on XX/XX/XXXX with an interest rate of 4.66 %, but that loan only had {$45.00} applied to the principal for that loan and payment. I did not include a billing payment slip with this payment as instructed by FedLoan Servicing. I have included the XX/XX/XXXX bill along with the payment instructions for the payment I made in XXXX. I have also included the payment history details for the XXXX payment ( XX/XX/XXXX ) showing how FedLoan Servicing incorrectly applied this payment. 3. A payment of {$360.00} FedLoan Servicing processed on XX/XX/XXXX should have had around {$120.00} in additional principal applied to the loan disbursed on XX/XX/XXXX with an interest rate of 4.66 %, but that loan only had {$39.00} applied to the principal for that loan and payment. I did not include a billing payment slip with this payment as instructed by FedLoan Servicing. I have included the XX/XX/XXXX bill along with the payment instructions for the payment I made in XXXX. I have also included the payment history details for the XXXX payment ( XX/XX/XXXX ) showing how FedLoan Servicing incorrectly applied this payment. 4. A payment of {$360.00} FedLoan Servicing processed on XX/XX/XXXX should have had around {$120.00} in additional principal applied to the loan disbursed on XX/XX/XXXX with an interest rate of 4.66 %, but that loan only had {$42.00} applied to the principal for that loan and payment. I did not include a billing payment slip with this payment as instructed by FedLoan Servicing. I have included the XX/XX/XXXX bill along with the payment instructions for the payment I made in XXXX. I have also included the payment history details for the XXXX payment ( XX/XX/XXXX ) showing how FedLoan Servicing incorrectly applied this payment.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 130XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-11-29
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-11-28
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Need information about your loan balance or loan terms
Consumer Complaint: I started making monthly student loan payments XX/XX/XXXX. My loans were consolidated and transferred to Fedloan on XX/XX/XXXX. I have been employed full time and have made monthly payments every month since ( XX/XX/XXXX ). My correct payment count towards PSLF should be 77 as of today ( XX/XX/XXXX ). According to the Fedloan website I have only made 43 qualifying payments. I first contacted Fedloan on XX/XX/XXXX in an attempt to rectify this discrepancy. I have subsequently contacted them on multiple occasions without a response or explanation.
Company Response:
State: MA
Zip: 020XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-11-28
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-11-28
Issue: Dealing with your lender or servicer
Subissue: Received bad information about your loan
Consumer Complaint: To Whom It May Concern, Please refer to complaint XXXX and complaint XXXX for previous information. I am writing to you to follow up on Fed Loan Servicing 's current response on why they are unfairly trying to change the terms of my student loan because I filled out an application. Let me be clear in saying that I did not understand the forms in which I signed. I have very XXXX XXXX even with my glasses when it comes to small print, and the print was very small, difficult to see, and hard to read. This fact seems to be dismissed and overlooked. I have stated this many times. I have already sent you my current XXXX prescription through Congressman XXXX ' office. Also I continue to get the same information/ suggestion about TEPSLF when I clearly stated that I am NOT in any position to do income driven repayment. I am raising XXXX small children and taking care of a sick elderly relative. I am the main source of income for my family and can not afford extremely high monthly payments that could increase over time. I contacted XXXX directly when this dispute first occurred. I asked them to send me the repayment terms of my loan. I received paperwork from XXXX. Included in what I received was original paperwork from American Education Services, Direct Loans, and a promissory note from XXXX. Fed Loan Servicing seems to have something different. Included in their response was a document from XXXX saying that XXXX had updated the payment schedule. I have never seen this document prior to Fed Loan Servicing 's response through the CFPB. What I found interesting about the document is that the payment continues to be the same at {$200.00}, but the term was extended XXXX. Even if this document is true XXXX is not XXXX which is the amount of time Fed Loan Servicing is trying to extend my payoff date. I am not paying this loan five extra years at almost XXXX years old on a fixed income. I graduated in XXXX. Fed Loan Servicing continues to say that my loan can not be returned to XXXX, but they have done it for other people in similar circumstances. I was denied loan forgiveness and in the end they would have forgiven XXXX dollars which is absurd. This program is unethical and misleading to the American Public. It defeats what it is set out to do. I am not threatened by Fed Loan reporting delinquent payments to the credit bureau. I am not purchasing a new car or a new house, or looking to get credit cards anytime soon. I work, pay my bills, and have always paid my student loan for many years. I am hard working and extremely responsible. I have been a XXXX XXXX XXXX in a poverty stricken community for XXXX years. I am a person of principle, and I will not be bullied by a company who clearly is unjust. I want this loan returned to XXXX under the original terms I had with them, and should not be in this situation because I filled out an application.
Company Response:
State: NJ
Zip: 08080
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-11-28
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2019-11-28
Issue: Improper use of your report
Subissue: Reporting company used your report improperly
Consumer Complaint: Student loan has been reporting the wrong balance before school was shutdown for fraudulent Activity. There are duplicate student loans that are reporting negatively on my credit report I have tried to resolve this issue several times
Company Response:
State: NC
Zip: 28269
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2019-11-28
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A