Everything you need to know about student loans, from repayment options and forgiveness programs to avoiding scams and managing debt wisely.
Question: Dear Steve, I have Tuition Answer loans and did a Chapter 7 in 2013. My loans were not discharged, not even mentioned, since they were deemed “cannot be discharged” in bankruptcy. At that time, I was unemployed and collecting state welfare, still paying on my loans so I would not go into default. Now …
Question: Dear Steve, Hello, my wife signed up with My Education Solutions to try to reduce her federal student loans but canceled the service after seeing this legal action against them in the news. She had requested a refund of fees but never received anything back. Do you have any updates on what’s happening with …
Question: Dear Steve, I had debt discharged back in 2017 in bankruptcya for TERI loan. This year they tried to garnish me after the fact. I won my motion for sanctions and now they are appealing the decision. Any recourse? Aren’t they private-educational loans? Any advice? Tiffanie Answer: Dear Tiffanie, The issue you describe is …
Question: Dear Steve, I went to college and was offered PSLF loan forgiveness for ten years of public service, which I started in 2011 and still work for the Commonwealth. I have filled out paperwork since they have these new programs that I shouldn’t have to split for. I have already full filled 120 payments …
Question: Dear Steve, I attended ITT tech in 1995 but didn’t finish. I only attended for one year but still owe a federal student loan. The IRS has taken my federal tax returns every year for my student loan. I have never worked in the field I was going to school for. I left because …
Question: Dear Steve, I just found out my school is now one of the schools part of the Borrower Defense lawsuit, Chicago School of Professional Psychology. I’m currently under the PSLF program, needing four more years until forgiveness. If I apply for the Borrower Defense discharge, will it affect my current PSLF application? Bill Answer: …
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against the owner of a student-loan debt relief company for allegedly withdrawing hundreds of thousands of dollars from student borrowers’ bank accounts, without authorization. The CFPB alleges that Frank Gebase, Jr. controlled a company that took the borrowers’ money after obtaining their names and account information from …
Question: Dear Steve, I attended IADT and didn’t graduate. I left the school after my department was closed /merged with another. They didn’t tell us they were closing/merging the departments for a couple of months. Instead, they told us we were just learning the basics in case we needed a more rounded skill to get …
In the CFPB case against Consumer Advocacy Center, Premier Student Loan Center, and others, Sarah Kim has settled. Here is the backstory from court documents: “Plaintiffs the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau), the State of Minnesota, the State of North Carolina, and the People of the State of California (collectively, Plaintiffs) commenced this civil …
Question: Dear Steve, I’m in a halfway house nearing the end of my federal incarceration. I will have completed ten years and four months. I have been looking at info on having my student loans written off. I’m working on getting the information I need, but can this still work? Was I supposed to do …