Recently, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, along with the states of Minnesota, North Carolina, and California, filed a lawsuit in California federal court against a student loan debt-relief operation. The CFPB alleges that the companies charged over $71 million in unlawful advance fees in connection with the marketing and sale of student loan debt-relief services
On October 22, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a ruling in Crocker v. Navient Solutions that could have mixed consequences for student loan borrowers and creditors alike. The Court determined that a bankruptcy court lacks the authority to enforce discharge injunctions issued by bankruptcy courts in other districts. It also ruled,
A recent report issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Private Education Loan Ombudsman recommends actions against scammers who seek to take advantage of and abuse student loan borrowers by offering no-value and sometimes harmful services.
On October 15, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Private Education Loan Ombudsman issued its 2019 Annual Report, which actually
On October 22, a proposed class of over 7,000 former college students filed a lawsuit against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education (“DOE”) in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, citing the department’s “enduring refusal to discharge the federal student loans”
The U.S. Department of Education finalized its proposal to rescind the Obama administration’s “Borrower Defense” rule issued in November 2016, replacing it with “Institutional Accountability Regulations” (the “Regulations”) effective July 1, 2020. The Regulations will significantly change the “Borrower Defense” rule. Such changes include once again allowing pre-dispute arbitration agreements.
The Regulations will apply to
On November 27, 2019, a New Jersey law requiring that student loan servicers obtain a license from the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance will go into effect.
The new law, among other things, will require the Department to appoint a student loan ombudsman to help student loan borrowers with understanding loan agreements
The Southern District of Florida recently issued a positive decision for businesses defending Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuits who place calls pursuant to contractually granted consent. In Lucoff v. Navient Sols., LLC, No. 0:18-cv-60743-RAR, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 133577 (S.D. Fla. Aug. 7, 2019), the Court affirmed and adopted the Magistrate’s Report and Recommendation
New York State’s Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) has issued new proposed regulations regarding licensing and servicing standards for student loan servicers operating in the state.
The proposed regulations stem from state legislation passed in April 2019, known as Article 14-A, which requires student loan servicers to obtain a license from the DFS before
On June 25, a group of twenty education organizations and individuals sent a letter to Congress urging it to regulate the use of income share agreements, or “ISAs” – an increasingly popular means of financing higher education. The letter was sent to the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Finance Committee, requesting legislation “that provides
The Second Circuit remains a hotbed for consumer claims under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act related to disclosures of interest and fees in collection letters. Plaintiffs bombard New York courts with these claims, forcing courts to meticulously review every possible disclosure of amounts due. While most of these claims ultimately fail on summary judgment,
