Nearly a decade after the financial crisis of 2007-08, the Senate recently advanced the most significant overhaul of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, signed into federal law by President Barack H. Obama on July 21, 2010. Specifically, on March 14, 2018, the Senate passed the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief,
On February 12, the White House released its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018, a document that calls for numerous changes to the repayment and forgiveness of federal student loans taken out after July 1, 2019. While Congress, of course, retains responsibility for any appropriations legislation, this document’s wish-list reflects the apparent priorities of the
As summarized in the March 2018 issue of the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, ABI’s Consumer Bankruptcy Committee has recently issued several recommendations and made several observations regarding the treatment of student loans under the Bankruptcy Code, codified in Title 11 of the United States Code.
First, the Committee intends to fashion a program
In the student loan market, servicers play a critical role. These entities maintain account records regarding borrowers, send periodic statements advising borrowers about amounts due and outstanding balances, receive payments from borrowers, allocate those payments among various loans and loan holders, answer borrowers’ questions, report to creditors and investors, and strive to prevent default by
The Republican Congress’ ongoing effort to overhaul the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as embodied in the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, may yet extend a helping hand to struggling student loan borrowers. On March 8, Sen. Richard (“Dick”) Durbin (D-Ill.), the Democratic Minority Whip, introduced an amendment to
The Senate’s latest banking bill primarily focuses on overturning large chunks of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Somewhat unexpectedly, on March 8, the Senate’s Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee approved the addition of two bipartisan proposals that provide help to some of the nation’s forty-four million student loan borrowers to
State in the House: Bill Passed Committee, but Vote Not Scheduled
Introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act cleared the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the United States House of Representatives on December 13, 2017. It did so despite claims by Democrats—and
Two major groups within the financial industry began the month of March with renewed advocacy for structural modifications to the student loan program managed by the U.S. Department of Education, which currently issues about 90% of student loans.
First, in early March, the Consumer Bankers Association, a trade organization representing financial
On February 21, the United States Department of Education, led by Secretary Elisabeth Dee DeVos, issued a memorandum indicating it was considering stepping into the debate over the standard used to determine whether a student loan can be discharged under the Bankruptcy Code. The request for public comment appears aimed in part at revisiting allowing